


Firestone

by KisekiMa



Category: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-11-13 19:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11192061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KisekiMa/pseuds/KisekiMa
Summary: Rin Tohsaka has chosen the path of the Hero of Justice in place of two heroes, who sacrificed themselves to help her win the Holy Grail War. She seeks redemption even after death, as a Counter Guardian, traveling through time and space. Could a faker like her find forgiveness in an era of Norse gods and dragons?She was like a firestone – the one, who can light a fire, and the one able to withstand it. Just like a fire opal, the precious jewel full of an inner heat, which was burning from the inside out.





	1. Chapter 1

**1: It Comes From the Sky**

_"_ _A good fight for a good reason, huh? It's not as simple as you may think. So wrong, but so justified…"_

* * *

It was snowing. So beautiful, so peaceful. So cold, that she could not feel the pain anymore.

_This is the end, huh?_

It was just another war, an ordinary battlefield. She did not even know, for what purpose or idea she was fighting this time. She was asked to help, so she didn't need anything more.

It was not a good fight for a good reason, she knew too well, that something like this doesn't exist. Not in this world, not in this timeline.

She sighed. Not a very classy last thoughts, indeed. As a member of Tohsaka family she should face the death with dignity.

But does it really matter after all those years of mindless bloodshed?

_I just… wish I could repay my debt one day. But it's impossible, right?_

A blue circle on the dark sky, like an ominous eye, with only an infinite darkness within. Like a path to the hopeless eternity.

"Right, you seem to have the power over timelines. But you can really grant it?" She smiled and reached out her hand to the distant sky. "Fine, I guess it can't be helped. Take this body and soul, do as you please. But let me repay, this is all I ask for."

* * *

"Look, Regin! A fire is raining from the sky!"A young man stood up from the branch near the campfire, his cold blue eyes were shining with admiration. "How spectacular!"

It was indeed a burning sphere, coming down from the night sky, a mysterious missile in its way to hit the ground nearby.

"It's a sign that gods are going to war," the old dwarf said, looking at this natural, or maybe even magical, phenomenon. "Don't cross your path with the gods, you will regret it."

But the young one was not listening at all to his mentor's advise, already with his sword in hand, ready to leave their small camp in the woods.

"I'll go and take a closer look!" – he shouted over his shoulder and ran to the place, where the fireball from the sky hit the ground.

His 'mentor' did not stop him, only smiled maliciously behind the back of the young man. He was so reckless, so curious about the world. An adventurous kind of man, who answers to people's requests without a second thought, just from the need to help the others.

He was so gullible and easy to be manipulated… just like the old fox wanted him to be. A very convenient tool to help Regin get back what was once his.

* * *

And – again – there was a lot of freshly fallen snow.

The materialization was not her favourite part of a Counter Guardian's job. The moment, when she was transported to the perfect location and her new, temporary body started to form, was the worst. It was like experiencing a triple gravity or even more, a horrible pressure, which is trying to smash every single cell of your body. No way she'll ever get used to this!

Except that, she regreted nothing, still determined to do her job the best she can, still believing, that her wish will be granted someday. It was something, what has to be done, her choice, her path to redemption.

The earth was burning. She found herself in the deep hole in the ground, the snow was melting rapidly around and several broken trees were still on fire, creaking horribly.

_It's caused by a mana blast from my sudden materialization? No, rather not. No, something had to hit the ground just a moment ago. A meteorite maybe? It looks like that._

She felt still too dizzy to analyze the situation and had not enough information about her current mission to act immediately, so she just looked around first.

A man was watching her from the edge of the hole. He was not moving, probably due to a shock, caused by her sudden manifestation. Their eyes met for a while.

His clothes – a linen shirt and animal leathers – were simple and typical for the time long before the Middle Ages in Europe. The woods around and a cold winter would imply a central or northern parts of the continent. And the magic was literally everywhere, in some powerful ley lines, even in the air… this was still the Age of Gods, right?

_Too bad that he's seen me_ , Tohsaka thought. She sighed heavily and drew the sword. Leaving no witnesses was an important part of her job. _This is the price you pay for being reckless._

* * *

_Did she come from the sky?_

The young man was stunned by the view – it was the strangest and the most beautiful woman she has ever seen. Not a big-breasted, blonde peasant from the nearest Burgundy or a Saxon woman, with a dirty face and tangled hair, barely different from her shaggy husband.

This woman had a long black hair, with some white strands, shining like the feathers of a raven. Her eyes were neither blue, nor green, just like… like the nearest river. And a skin of the woman seemed so soft and tanned, but not burnt in a vulgar manner, like a skin of some simple villagers, who were forced to work in the sunlight. It was something different, much more elegant and mysterious, like she was born like this.

_A foreigner? Most likely. And of noble birth, these red clothes and armor underneath... so perfectly made. It must have cost a fortune. Two villages maybe._

She was so different, yet so perfect, like some supernatural entity, made of pure magic.

And the ridiculously big sword, which she wielded… The young man found it extremely beautiful. It was a perfect blade for him to wield and he could feel a sudden desire to forge something like that. When stuck in the ground, it would probably be higher than a woman herself. She really was able to use it? How?

_With ease_ , he concluded, when the woman attacked him with no warning. And, on Thor's hammer, she was strong!

"Wait… I've just… Wait!"

But he abandoned the idea of explaining his motives and calming her down. It was useless. So he clenched his teeth and fought back, giving all he's got in every single blow.

Well, sometimes you have to act like a man and fight for your life, no matter who your opponent is, right?

* * *

_Well, that was quick._

The young man was kneeling before her, disarmed, with a blade touching his throat. But he was still smiling, like some psycho, who does not realize, how hopeless is the situation he is in.

_Something is wrong. Where are my data? What's the meaning of this materialization?_

Yes, something was clearly different this time. She did not feel an uncontrollable urge to kill this young man. Just the opposite.

She took a closer look at her so easily defeated opponent. He seemed to be almost twenty years old, but he was already much stronger than any ordinary man. He had an arms of a blacksmith, but it could only partially explain his unusual abilities. Not to mention that not every blacksmith was so skilled with the blades he was making. Inexperienced – yes, but he fought bravely enough to make Tohsaka wonder, who he is.

These cold blue eyes, calm and yet full of hope, even of joy after the fine duel… His hair, long and platinum blond, which seems to be almost silver in the moonlight. He was like a young wolf, hungry for adventures, trusting his yet imperfect skills and beginner's luck.

His face seemed familiar too. Rin hesitated, but did not take her sword back from his throat. She tried to remember the details so hard, that it made her head hurt.

"Who are you?" – she asked eventually, her voice was as cold as the night's air and the snow under her feet.

"I'm Siegfried Sigmundsson," the young man replied simply and smiled, despite his not very favorable position. "And you?"

Tohsaka's eyes widened in shock, when she recognized this name. And then a sudden understanding came.

_Is it…_

_…_ _the redemption I seek?_

"Well?" He was clearly not the one to give up easily, so he just kept asking. "Who are you? A beautiful shieldmaiden? A valkyrie? One of the elven kin or maybe a goddess of war incarnated?"

She wasn't listening at all, her thoughts were running like crazy in her head, one after another, desperately trying to find any logic in this farce. This is how Alaya decided to grant her wish?

It could be a meaningless timeline, just a playground made for Tohsaka, to fulfill her desire. Or just the opposite…

But her instructions came at last and were clear: she's been sent here not to kill, not to clean people's mess, but to protect. To make sure that a certain guy will not die too soon and that the flow of time, of history itself, will be preserved.

And this time their opponents will not be humans. At least not only humans.

_Oh, now it makes some sense_. _So you want to use me anyway? Two birds with one stone?_

"What are you doing here?"

He sighed heavily. It was obvious, that he kept talking and wasn't listened at all, but his calm reaction was promising. As expected from one of the greatest warriors in history of this region.

"I've come to see the fire from the sky."

"This?" She pointed a tip of her gigantic sword to the strange stone lying in the centre of this mess. It was still hot, a steam was slowly streaming to the cold air from its surface. "It's just a meteorite."

"What? That's how it's called in your country?"

"Yes. It's just a stone from the sky. A hot metal."

"This is even better," he laughed and stood up at last. "A metal from the sky! A firestone, like you! Just imagine how magnificent a sword forged from this material can be!"

"A truly great one, indeed." Tohsaka saddened visibly and she put her weapon back in its usual place. Yes, she could easily imagine the sword wonderful enough to be remembered an eons after the death of the one, who forged it. A blade with a name, a holy one, blessed with a power of dragon slaying.

_His enthusiasm is the most tragic here_ , she thought. _It's an innocent joy of the one, who wants to do his best for the others, not yet spoiled by the outcome of his own heroic deeds…_

"You're staring at me," she noticed and gave him a cold look. "Stop it."

This bothersome brat was not embarrassed at all.

"I'll explain why, but please tell me your name first." His wide, innocent smile made her blush a little.

"Tohsaka. So?"

"To-o-sa-ka…" It sounded really strange, but he was trying hard. "It's because I have never seen a woman like you."

"And you will never see again."

"Why you're so cruel, To-o-sa-ka?"

She snarled, utterly annoyed, and turned away.

"Just give me a chance, I will learn to say it correctly. Sorry!"

It was not the real problem, she got used to hear her name spelled imperfectly by many people before. It was… HE was… Hopeless. Just like she remembered.

"Rin." She rolled her eyes, still not pleased, but at least a little calmer. "Just Rin is enough. Don't you think that you're too young to comment on women like that?"

"Sounds nice." He completely ignored her last remark. "Like something… cold but with a certain dignity. A proud but somehow sad name."

"Yours too. It says that your future will be full of battles."

"But also victories. To achieve peace."

"A good fight for a good reason, huh? It's not as simple as you may think. So wrong, but so justified…" She stopped suddenly and jumped to him, alarmed by the strange sparkle on the night sky, like a distant flash on metallic surface. "Oh, shit, look out!"

He reacted correctly, like a warrior to the core, with a perfect position to face an attack from the sky. A truly good instinct, he clearly had a swordplay in his blood. But a simple weapon, which he was carrying, was not enough to stop the charge from above. This blade would shatter to pieces, along with Siegfried's bones.

That's why the Rin's sword blocked this powerful strike before it could reach the young man's head.

"Ha! You need to try better than this!" – Tohsaka said with a cruel smile and pushed back her opponent with an enormous strength, like it was no true exertion for her.

The woman on a flying mount, fully armed and with a characteristic winged helmet, shouted something obviously offensive and attacked again, trying to smash Tohsaka with a brute force. But Rin only smiled and raised her ridiculously gigantic weapon with disturbing ease.

"Get out of here," she said and kicked Siegfried, sending him flying a few meters away and make him fall into a snowdrift. A short "Ouch!" came from under the snow, a clear sign that he was alive and – probably - unhurt.

The clash of two supernatural beings was short and fierce, some broken branches and rocks were flying around their improvised battlefield. Both women were extremely strong and both ended this duel unscratched. The rider withdrew quickly; it was certain, that she had expected an easy victory and came here unprepared for a fight with a stronger opponent.

"Yeah, run away, you coward!" Rin was truly trying to not give up to the raising bloodlust in her magical veins. "I'm sure you'll be back with your sisters. I'll be ready."

"What the…" – the debutant adventurer scrambled out of the snow and joined Tohsaka, not really sure, what was going on.

"That was a real valkyrie, if you want to know."

"Wonderful!" His eyes were shining with admiration, both for Rin and the enemy warrior. It was hopeless, the people of this age were truly insane. "But why did she attack you?"

"Not me! You!" Tohsaka angrily poked his chest. She was so strong in this form, that she could easily break his ribs by accident. "She attacked YOU!"

"But why?"

He wasn't as terrified as Rin expected him to be. No, he wasn't terrified AT ALL and it made her extremely angry. So he was really born like this, not brave, but 'just' a fearless psychopath with no self-preservation instinct. The one, who would rip out his own heart and give it to someone else! How annoying!

"Ugh, I've almost forgotten, how stubborn you can be!"

"What?" A blink of surprise was his only answer.

She sighed heavily and decided to be serious at last.

"Listen to me, Siegfried Sigmundsson… it seems that your gods want your death."

 


	2. Be Careful What You Wish For

_The time has come to set the wheels in motion. If things start to happen at last, nothing and no one will be able to stop them._

* * *

The thread of human life is usually golden, but this one was silver, like a fur of a winter wolf in the night of full moon. Near the Well of Fate, a gigantic woman frowned and almost shouted, when this special string was about to break in her hands.

"What's wrong, Verdandi?" – one of her sisters asked, visibly worried. It was very unusual for the nonchalant Norn of the present and future events to lose her silent composure.

"It's about our prince," the woman answered, wrapping the thread around her finger and checking its structure once again. "It suddenly became thin and now looks like it could break at any moment. I don't remember it to be like this before."

"Hmmm, everything's fine with my part," said Urd, the 'What Once Was' lady, the ruler of past events. She stroked gently the silver surface, like caressing her beloved offspring. "Straight and strong, our little one was always healthy and full of live. He was soooo adorable as a child."

Urd smiled to her memories, but Verdandi only sighed heavily, thinking. Most likely it was Odin, who tried to change the course of fate and she did not like it. Everyone should accept even the worse possible destiny with one's head held high, men and gods alike.

There was something else… a strange red thread, tangled with the silver one. It did not belong to this world and was barely able to materialize in the Norn's dominion. Verdandi rubbed her chin, considering new possibilities.

Both strings were weak, but together they've formed a fine rope, strong enough to withstand a storm on the Northern Sea. Although hesitant for a while, the 'What Is Coming into Being' lady made her decision at last and tied them even tighter, sealing the fate of the two.

"It's done," she said and both Norns turned their heads questioningly to the youngest sister, as if awaiting further instructions.

Her name was Skuld – 'What Shall Be' - the ultimate destiny, the necessity of one's existence and its purpose. She was the most capricious and unpredictable of the three.

"Yes, it's done," the last Norn agreed with a mysterious smile.

* * *

"It was the first snow this year, not even winter yet." Siegfried rubbed his arms. "It shouldn't be so cold."

"It's not that bad." Tohsaka could not catch cold in this magical body, but her perception was not much different from that of a normal human. "You are not dressed for the weather, that's all."

"You're probably right," he chuckled. "I've just run…"

"Like a reckless kid."

"Well, maybe, but in the end I've found…"

"Troubles."

"...you." He sighed. "You're the dominant one, aren't you?"

Tohsaka only rolled her eyes and did not really bother to answer.

They were sitting on the slope of the little crater, where the meteorite struck, waiting for the metal to cool down enough to be safely transported. Siegfried insisted, that he must take it to the forge, and Rin agreed, knowing how important this piece of stone will soon become.

Siegfried's unimaginable stubbornness was nothing new for Tohsaka, yet some things have surprised her anyway. First: he was younger than she thought before. Second: when she promised to answer all his questions later, he just calmly agreed. Third: Rin was truly amazed, how easily she's gained his trust. Siegfried seemed to be extremely naïve… Or maybe in this era a promise was much more significant than in the modern world? After all, a word of honor was the only thing people had here.

Of course, that he had asked, why he's supposed to be killed. Everybody would want to know it in his place. Tohsaka had a theory about the reason, but it needed to be checked first. And, what's even more important, she was not sure, if she should ever tell him the truth.

What if he'd refuse to take part in this creepy play? What if he would never slay a dragon or take the cursed ring for himself? Would it change the history of this world even more?

Rin sighed. It was not the right time for such meaningless thoughts. What Archer would say in this situation? "Let's focus on surviving first." Well, in most cases, he was right.

"Take it." She gave Siegfried a blue jewel. "Hold it in your hand and it will keep you warm."

"Thank you." His gaze, something in these blue eyes, made her feel… uncomfortable.

"What?" Rin crossed her arms, determined to not be so easily provoked by a kid like him. "It would be a waste to let you die from a simple fever after all the effort I put into saving you."

"Of course." Siegfried smiled and took a look at the jewel. "A blue zircon? You made it using the technique of flowing and transferring magical energy, right? Awesome."

"Wait, you know about magic?"

"A little." He shrugged. "Regin has taught me. He's taught me many things, like languages and runes. But I don't really like runes. Or rather they don't like me and refuse to obey me."

"Regin?" Rin tried to organize her new data and shattered memories from the Grail War. This name was very important, she was sure of it. At the same moment she checked the young warrior with Clairvoyance and found some very interesting magic circuits. Of course no rune would ever obey him, this kind of magic was against his nature!

"He's my… foster father and teacher. We were on our way back from Burgundian lands, where we've sold some swords, and then a fireball appeared on the sky." Siegfried looked over his shoulder at the forest, confused or maybe nervous. "I guess he's back home already. It's not far away."

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to your camp?"

"He'll be fine. He's more dangerous than he looks."

"I meant that he may be worried about you."

"He? Ah, it's not..." A sadness in his voice was… disturbing. "He's not the one to… Let's just say that he's not a very emotional creature. Well, he's not even human in the first place."

Siegfried smiled widely to hide his emotions, but Rin already knew, what was troubling him. It was loneliness. The true one, which means not being alone, but the feeling, that no one cares.

_Could it be the reason, why he_ __so desperately_ kept answering requests of others? _

"I know how it sounds – like I'm an ungrateful, spoiled brat or something." He must have interpreted her silence as a sign of disapproval, so he started explaining. "But it's not like that. I'm very happy here, of course, but…" He shook his head, amazed by his own thoughts, and sighed. "The vision of spending another winter here, reading, forging weapons or jewelry and playing chess with an old dwarf is not spectacularly attractive, don't you think, Rin?"

"Sounds really boring to me." She smiled gently, trying to cheer him up. "So you're not really happy here?"

"I am. But…" He looked at the sky and fading stars above their heads. The eastern side was slowly turning red, welcoming a new day. "I would like to visit all those countries I've read about, use the languages I've learned, and see things with my own eyes."

For a moment they both were watching the upcoming sunrise in silence.

"Be careful what you wish for, Siegfried." Tohsaka warned the young man with a strange, empty expression. "You will travel the world, I can assure you of that. And one day you will start to miss this boring life in the woods."

* * *

_'_ _Son, staring at ladies like that is rude, at least try to act like a prince you are!' –_ his mother scolded him once at the court of king Alv. And Siegfried, when he finally recovered from the first shock and remembered this priceless advice, tried really hard to not stare at Tohsaka.

It was difficult. No, rather impossible. For him this woman – yes, a woman, not a girl, so why he keeps thinking of her as of a girl, who needs protection? – was not just a foreigner met under unusual circumstances. Strange as it may seems, Siegfried felt as if his long-lost friend had returned.

He did not know how to behave in her presence and was angry at himself. It was just like the king wanted? Ten years in the middle of nowhere was enough to make Siegfried forget, how a nobleman should act? Enough to change the prince into a simple servant?

Family problems aside, the young warrior did not want Tohsaka to think badly of him. He was trying to be calm and kind, but he could barely control the excitement and joy, two completely new feelings for him. So what should he do?

Only one thing was certain right now – Rin, the magical goddess of war, who came from the sky, was amazing. _She was like a firestone – the one, who can light a fire, and the one able to withstand it. Just like a fire opal, the precious jewel full of an inner heat, which was burning from the inside out_ _._

Maybe it's his innate recklessness and he will end up like a moth drawn to the flame, but Siegfried still wanted to touch this fire no matter what.

* * *

A raven flew over their heads, cawing loudly. It was a really big bird, like every creature born on the land filled with magic. Or there was something more.

"Damn, we've been watched!" Without a second thought, Tohsaka fired a _Gandr_ at the bird.

"Wait, Rin!" Siegfried seemed a little pale, when he reached out his hand to stop Tohsaka from committing sacrilege. "Ravens and wolfs are messengers of Odin!"

"Exactly! And this is why I will slay them without mercy."

"Oh."

Rin did not blame him. In his place, she would probably be confused as well, seeing some foreigner shooting a sacred bird. Actually, his reaction was extremely calm.

"Shit, I missed." She kept observing the raven until it disappeared from sight. Then a howling sounded in the woods, disturbingly close to their current location. Another sound came from a completely different direction. And another... "Great, we'll be surrounded by wolves soon. Let's take this stone and get out of here."

"Sure." Siegfried slipped do from the slope with a wide smile. "Wolves here hate witches, you know?"

Tohsaka shook her head, thinking, that he couldn't remain melancholic for too long. Damn, he was so lively, that he could share the energy with at least four other brats like him.

Behind the trees more predators joined the choir. They were obviously gathering for the hunt.

"This way," Siegfried said and led her through the wilderness.

"Oh, so we're not lost? Good."

"Rin…" For the first time he looked somehow offended. "I know every single tree in this forest. And I've told you already, that I'm not a barbarian, I was learning hard recently."

"Really? So tell me how the current situation here looks like. I mean on the map."

"No problem!" His enthusiasm was priceless. "We have Burgundians in the South, Saxons and Franks in the North and a lot of different tribes here, constantly fighting. Soon you'll see the left shore of Rhein… Oh, I've almost forgot! We have many remnants of Roman buildings, I can show you later, if you want to."

Tohsaka smiled behind his back, but it was a sad expression. So now he started showing off before her? She did not want to become his first crush or anything like that. For his own good, she should keep the distance, not be nice. It was not necessary for the mission, right?

But it was already too late. She clenched her fists, hesitant. If she's really been sent here to correct her previous mistakes, acting coldly like before would be just dumb, right?

Wolves were still howling in the woods, but from a safe distance. It was a good sign. They were observed, but not yet chased.

"I've already decided," Siegfried announced suddenly, bringing Tohsaka back to reality.

"What?"

"I will explain it later." He winked and it was for sure his little vengeance on Rin for keeping her secrets before. "I must visit a certain place first. There's enough time left before the winter. Travelling through the heavy snow will be impossible soon."

"Where are we going?" – Rin asked, now truly intrigued.

Siegfried's smile widened. The fact, that has a companion now, meant much for the young warrior.

"I'm going to pay unexpected visit to the king of these lands," he declared simply.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Tohsaka stopped walking, utterly surprised. "I've thought that you are not welcome in the palace?"

"You mean the hall? We call it 'a hall' here." He would probably wave his hand nonchalantly, but he was carrying a fragment of the meteorite, so he only shrugged. "So what?"

"You're not…?"

"No."

Rin sighed and followed him. She wanted to ask, if he's not afraid to act against the king's order, but it was useless. She's almost forgotten, that there was no place in his dictionary for words like 'fear' or 'doubts'.

_Ok then… I'll be the one to worry for both of us._

* * *

"It's begun at last." Regin did not even try to hide his joy, watching two riders, who were now leaving the homestead.

Siegfried, who was sitting proudly on the back of Grani, his grey stallion, looked over his shoulder one last time. He still seemed to be surprised, that his foster father not only hasn't criticized the idea of disobeying the king, but also encouraged the young prince to go.

The dwarf smiled. Why would he oppose? The time has come to set the wheels in motion. If things start to happen at last, nothing and no one will be able to stop them.

Rin was following Siegfried on the ginger mare and she was visibly unhappy, that horses are involved in her current mission. Her riding skills were rather poor and she was focused mostly on keeping her balance in the saddle.

_That girl is troublesome_ , Regin thought. _She's a part of a force, which cannot be fully understood or controlled. Now she's useful, but… if she tries to interfere with my plan or make the boy think independently, she will have to disappear._

Regin turned his eyes to the mountains, where the dragon was lying on the piles of gold, and rubbed his hands together, sensing future profits. He could not remember the last time he was so excited! This annoying brat will play his part soon and the dwarf will be free from these unpleasant nanny duties!

But one thing was still troubling Regin - for the first time since the boy has arrived here, almost a decade ago, he was smiling.


	3. Different Truths, Different Goals

_"_ _Even if I say, that you're right, what kind of truth it would be?"_

* * *

Tohsaka had to admit, that the river was beautiful. Wild and wide, it was clearly the heart of these lands, and Rin could feel a very powerful ley lines beneath the water surface.

There was also a big problem to get to the other side and they had to ride almost a week along the shore to find a safe crossing. The journey was long and hard, but they did not complain. They talked, laughed and started to really enjoy their time together.

Their enemies were following them, but did not dare to attack yet. Tohsaka suspected, that they were waiting for a perfect moment to strike. The last failure must have somehow discouraged them and force to came up with some plan, not just charge head on and think it would work.

But Tohsaka remained alert and ready to fight, especially when they stopped at night to rest.

"Rin, you know that sharing body heat is the best way to survive a winter night outside?"

She stared at him from the other side of the fire, suspecting what he tried to achieve.

"Don't worry, I'm not a living creature, I will not froze to death."

Siegfried gave Tohsaka a look of reproach, and she could swear that he resembled a sad puppy right now.

"But I may, you know? I'm already cold and you're so heartless…"

"Fine." With a heavy sigh, she let Siegfried hold her gently and wrap them both in a fur. "But keep your hands to yourself!"

"Of course, Rin." She could feel his breath on her neck. "See? It's much better like this."

She did not bother to answer, mostly because it would be like admitting defeat.

"I've heard from some traders, that on the northern islands people use dogs to survive on winter nights," Siegfried started to talk to make the situation less awkward and embarrassing for Rin. It worked pretty well. "When it's really cold, you need to sleep under four or even five dogs."

"Don't tell me that you would prefer the company of dogs now?"

"Not really. But dogs would give me more warmth than you."

Rin laughed. Lying comfortably, she was listening to the sounds of the forest and noticed, that the night creatures here seemed to be surprisingly loud, probably even more than in Fuyuki. The distant howling was especially disturbing.

"What are they waiting for? They could attack us long ago, but still they only keep following us and making noises."

"Look at the moon, Rin, and you'll get your answer."

She glanced at the night sky, partially covered with clouds. There was a waxing moon above, a full moon will come in few days.

"So… what's wrong with it?" Tohsaka shrugged, seeing no connection between the facts.

"They're not wolves but werewolves, Rin. Shapeshifters. Skin walkers. Or how you used to call them in your country."

"Really?" She tried to look at Siegfried, but he wrapped her so perfectly, that she was barely able to change position. "How do you know?"

He chuckled.

"It tickles when you're moving… Rin, I'm from the Völsung bloodline, I know about werewolves much more than I wish to know. My family is famous for a very ill luck."

"Yeah, I've already noticed."

Tohsaka closed her eyes and let her thoughts flow freely for a while. Somehow the vision of fangs and red eyes burning in the darkness dominated her weary mind.

 _So we'll be fighting a horde of werewolves soon? How cute_.

"Goodnight, Rin."

"I'm not going to sleep."

"Don't worry, the horses will warn us..."

"I'm not going to sleep!"

"Of course."

But it was really warm and nice in his arms. So warm and nice, that Rin did not even notice the moment, when she fell asleep.

* * *

He did not understand, why people say, that observing a sleeping woman is creepy or wrong. He just couldn't resist. Tohsaka was adorable when she was asleep.

She was also stubborn and insisted, that she doesn't need to sleep at all. But why? To not show him how cute she really is?

Siegfried smiled and stood up slowly, trying not to wake up Rin needlessly. It was as difficult as refraining from touching her, but he was determined to keep his promise. After all, he was a honorable man. Or at least he tried to be...

Winter was coming fast, every morning seemed colder than a previous one. Siegfried looked around their little camp and thought, that a warm soup would be perfect to start a day. But first he needed to get some fresh water and take care of the horses, so he took them to the river.

The eagle landed on the stone at the shore, just a few meters from Siegfried. Grani neighed nervously to warn his master and the young warrior noticed that something truly was wrong - the bird had only one eye.

After a short while there was no eagle sitting on the stone, but an one-eyed old man with a long white beard.

"It was a tiring journey, I must admit," he said and stretched out. "Will you give some water to the thirsty old man, boy?"

Siegfried nodded and gave the stranger his bucket.

"So you're still not afraid of me?"

"Why should I be afraid?" The young warrior shrugged. "It would not change a thing. Right, Allfather?"

Odin gave him a thin smile.

"Even if I say, that you're right, what kind of truth it would be?"

Siegfried raised one eyebrow, intrigued.

"There's only one truth," he said after a short moment of hesitation.

"Not really. For example, history has its own truth. And legend has a completely different truth. Do you know what's the difference between them, young prince?"

Siegfried tilted his head, thinking.

"Legend is a kind of story," he replied eventually. "And, as a story, it's mostly an invention."

"Correct." The father of gods was visibly pleased by this answer. "But there's something special about the legendary truth. It is an invention, but strong enough to create a completely different reality. To create an eternal man."

"History seems to have the same goal."

"In a manner of speaking. But a legendary man is much closer to a divine being than anyone else."

Odin stared at the young man with his single eye and it was a very strange look. It was like a touch of the abyss, of the cosmic eternity. Siegfried could not fully understand it, but he's already had a pretty good idea of where this conversation was going.

"So the gods must really hate legends of anyone but themselves," he said quietly.

The one-eyed deity laughed honestly. There was an obvious sympathy towards Siegfried in his voice, when he spoke again:

"That's not the point this time, but I like your way of thinking, child. Tell me, are you a fool, who dreams of eternal glory?"

"No, I'm not!" – Siegfried denied fiercely, more than he really intended. "But… it's not that my fate has been already decided?"

"Usually it is exactly like you said, boy. You belong to the lucky ones, who have been given the choice: to live eternally in the world of legends or to spend one short life peacefully, like every mortal should."

Siegfried lowered his head and stared at his own feet, more sad than hesitant.

_What's the difference, if both paths are to be walked alone?_

"There is a difference, boy." Odin has read his mind? Or these emotions were just painted on Siegfried's face? "What if l tell you, that the girl could stay here by your side?"

The young warrior winked, shocked by this unexpected offer. _To make Rin stay… is it even possible?_

"I'm a god, remember? Choose wisely, young prince," Odin said with a serious expression. "There won't be turning back. You have time until the full moon."

And he disappeared, not even bothering to change form anymore.

* * *

They reached the capital at noon. It was the first time for Rin to visit such kind of place. The main building was more intriguing than impressive. Compared to the palaces of ancient China, Egypt or other famous civilizations, it looked more like a doghouse than a residence. No doubt that someone like Gilgamesh would never call any lord of these lands a nobleman.

A meaningful, frightened whispers surrounded them immediately. Rin could hear people noticing her unusual outfit and she hoped, that her presence will not affect Siegfried's reputation. She did not want him to become an antihero, by 'making a pact with the red demon-witch to destroy the kingdom', as some people interpreted their arrival.

_Well, it's not that I couldn't conquer this city right now. It would be interesting… From where did this idea_ _come, huh?_

But she was ignored surprisingly fast - the majority of citizens talked rather about the young prince. He caused the real sensation in the capital.

'How dare he come here?', they said. 'King was not merciful enough to let him live in the woods?'

It was not very surprising, to be honest. For king Alv, although he adopted Siegfried, when he married his mother not long after the fatal battle, the young warrior was more a burden, even a future rival, than a son. It was dangerous to have him around and many kings before would not hesitate to kill the kid, so banishing him could truly be interpreted as an act of mercy. If the child was lively and adorable, it was even worse. With a sympathy of the people, he may turn against the king someday, to take back what is rightfully his, right?

And Siegfried WAS already famous and recognizable, even after all these years, which he's spent in the woods. They gave him a name 'the first among the Völsung tribe' when he was seven years old. Rin concluded, that he had to cause many troubles back then. And the one thing was certain – they were somehow afraid of him.

 _It sounds almost like the legend of Cú Chulainn or Hercules, and the first heroic deeds of these problematic children… Well, almost_.

The young warrior ignored all unfavorable comments with dignity, and it made Tohsaka proud of him. He stopped Grani right before the entrance to the hall.

"Rin. Whatever happens, please do not interfere. It's something I need to do alone."

"I understand, but if your life is in danger, I…" – she started but was interrupted without mercy.

"You will do nothing, Rin. Give me your word."

Although she didn't like it, she knew, that this stubborn brat is right. Tohsaka was not allowed to mess with his family affairs and the legend must go on as planned without her assistance. She was not even able to scold him for being bossy, like he was the one in charge here.

_This guy has no respect for elders or just for me? I think I'll kick his ass to find out._

"I promise I will not intervene, if it doesn't collide with my mission."

"Thank you, Rin." He smiled, but was serious like never before. "Let's go then."

He headed Grani to the door and the horse opened them with its hooves. Tohsaka wondered, if it's an usual behavior here, but screams of terrified guardians and observers told her, that it was rather the spectacle arranged by Siegfried specially for this occasion.

 _Well, that's what I thought_. _No respect, especially for the king._ She sighed, trying to figure out, what he's up to, but eventually remained silent and followed the young warrior inside in the same manner. After all, they stuck in the swamp to the neck together, right?

The hall looked much better inside, with two rows of wooden columns and benches. Each piece of furniture was gilded and decorated with images of gods and wild animals. Although lacking in splendor, the hall was a great place to feast.

Fortunately no violence was needed, because the guards did not even try to stop the intruders. They've sent a servant girl to deal with this problem.

 _How brave of them_ , Rin thought and sighed heavily.

"Forgive me, lord, but the king is not here today." The girl bowed before Siegfried. She was trembling, visibly terrified. "If you don't mind to wait outside the city gates…"

"No need." His voice was soft enough to make her look at him. The prince gave the servant girl a beautiful smile to encourage her. "I'm not here to cause troubles, but to speak with queen Hiordis. Could you please announce my arrival?"

"Yes, of course, my lord!" The girl smiled with relief and ran to fulfill his kind request.

Tohsaka smiled. Siegfried knew the limits of rudeness and in the end proved to be too gentle to needlessly scare a simple peasant girl. Another thing to make Rin feel proud of this irritating brat.

Yet he did not get off the horse until the queen came to see him. Tohsaka held her breath – they looked so alike, that no one would ever deny the fact, that they share the same blood.

Hiordis was a tall, beautiful woman, with a long, almost silver hair, and the only difference between the two was the eye color. Siegfried must have inherited that cold, piercing blue from his father, who had fallen in battle before his birth.

 _And it_ _must be the reason, why his mother can't stand looking at him,_ Tohsaka concluded, observing the queen from the distance. She seemed expressionless – again no surprise – but a strange shade came across her face. Some painful memories, maybe?

No, there was more than just the pain in the queen's gaze – it was almost a disgust. Her upper lip curled in disdain, when she spoke:

"You're not allowed to be here, Siegfried. What do you want?"

"I came for my legacy, Mother," he answered, kneeling at one knee, with his head lowered, showing some respect at last. "The time has come for me to have it."

"Are you sure about it?"

"Yes. I need it."

Hiordis needed a moment to think and, of course, to glance at the strange woman, who was accompanying her son. It was not a favorable gaze.

 _Yes, the red demon-witch, I know already, no need to tell me again._ Tohsaka rolled her eyes, but was ignored relatively quickly.

"I will give you the shards, Siegfried, if you promise to never come here again," the queen decided finally.

Rin froze. She really said it? To her firstborn son? Why? It was something, what a top magus from the Clock Tower would said to one of his children in some special circumstances, but…

She glanced at Siegfried, who was still kneeling before his mother. His calm expression hasn't changed but Tohsaka could clearly feel his pain. The heart of the young warrior has been just broken, a deep shade in his eyes was enough for Rin to tell.

"You have my word," he answered without hesitation.

Hiordis accepted this firm declaration and gave him a signal to get up. She disappeared in her private room for a while and soon returned with a bundle. There was some metal in it, evidently a parts of a sword, wrapped in a canvas so old, that it's almost lost its color.

Rin knew, what it is – the shards of Gram, a famous sword, which belonged to king Sigmund, and has been destroyed by Odin himself with the powerful spear, Gungnir.

All parts of the puzzle started to fit together. Rin instinctively touched the replica of Balmung on her back. Only one detail was still missing, but she was sure, that soon the original sword will be forged by 'the fearless one' and then…

_I will have a lot of work. Definitely._

* * *

_Does he really have to go through all of this alone in any other timeline? And still manages to become_ _'_ _the all-loving hero of justice'? -_ those were the thoughts of Rin, when they've finally left the town, full of rumors and unfriendly looks of its inhabitants. They were traveling on foot now, letting horses rest after a long march through the wilderness.

 _Well, alone until Brynhildr. But in the end they were also separated in the most cruel way_. Tohsaka wondered, if the famous Valkyrie is going to appear soon.

Most likely not. If what Rin suspected was correct, and Odin doesn't want Siegfried to die as a hero of legend, he would not sent after him the woman, who is an important part of this legend, right?

Anyway, Siegfried's behavior started to make some sense for Tohsaka. It was a 'I will grant your wishes, so you will love me as much as I love you' kind of thinking, no doubt. But it will only change him into a living grail, a threat-eliminating machine, just a weaker version of a Counter Guardian, nothing more.

_Hell no! Not on my watch! As long as I'm here, I won't let it happen!_

"Siegfried, I'm sorry… This conversation must have been difficult for you."

"It's fine, Rin." He smiled cheerfully and turned around, like nothing weird has ever happened. It was enough for Tohsaka to lose patience and bring her impulsive character out again.

"No, it's not fine! Not at all!" She clung to his back, her hands were shaking lightly, when she held him tight. "You don't have to pretend, that you don't have any feelings or that it's normal. It's not! And you certainly don't deserve it!"

He didn't move or say anything, just stood like this and let her hold him. It started to snow. Siegfried turned around in silence and hesitantly hid his face in Tohsaka's hair.


	4. Questions of the Past and Future

_It was really hard to understand, why such a perfect magical creature, powerful and majestic, could spread only terror and death._

* * *

Deep under the mountains the great dragon named Fafnir was sleeping on a piles of gold. He sniffed nervously several times and opened one golden eye. Something was wrong. The air seemed colder than usual and unpleasant smell of rotting leaves teased his nostrils. The winter was coming quickly and the old reptile realized, that he's hungry and needs to feed well before another long sleep.

Fafnir slowly raised his giant head, letting the coins slip down freely, like a clinking waterfall. He didn't like the idea of leaving the gold unprotected, but quickly calmed down. He was a dragon, no one will dare to came to his lair just like that! Facing him was a suicide, he was simply invincible with his iron scales. His wings made a hurricane! His teeth were like sharp swords, his claws – spears, his breathe – a raging inferno. Who would be stupid enough to ever challenge him?

No one, of course! The last idiot, who'd tried to rob Fafnir, to lay his dirty hands on dragon's treasure, tasted awfully. His horse would be probably must tastier, but the dragon was not really in the mood to chase this stupid creature back then…

He slowly crawled out of the cave, stretched his wings and flied into the cold air, to seek prey.

* * *

"Rin, there's no need to rush. We have one more night to think about tactics."

"How do you know?"

They were traveling back to the Regin's household. Their horses were willingly speeding up to reach a warm stable as soon as possible, already feeling the winter breeze in their manes.

"Allfather said it," Siegfried explained simply. "We won't be attacked before the full moon, so you don't need to be so nervous."

"What?!"

One powerful kick of angry Tohsaka was enough to send Siegfried to the ground. But why he's started to laugh in such a miserable position?

"What's so funny?!"

"This is the first time I've ever fallen off a horse." He was laughing like a lunatic. "Easy, Rin, it was only a small talk, nothing more."

"A small talk with the head of local pantheon? Great, just great!" She rolled her eyes. "Do you realize how it sounds?"

"Panthe… what? It's not a Latin word, I guess?"

"No, it's Greek. From ' _pan-_ ', which means 'all' and ' _theos_ ', which mean 'gods'."

"So… 'all the gods'? Awesome! I would like to learn this language too!"

"But it's not important right now! I'm here to protect you, but I swear that I will kill you with my own hands instead, you… you… annoying brat!"

Even woodpeckers fell silent, alarmed by her screams. Siegfried raised one eyebrow, surprised to see her so emotionally involved in this quarrel.

"Why?" He finally stopped laughing and stood up.

"Because… I have no idea, what's in your head! I don't know, what you're thinking! How can I trust you, not knowing, what you're planning to do in the nearest future?"

"Rin, you have some secrets too, right?" He smiled, again in the saddle. A sparkle appeared in his cold eyes. "Let's talk honestly tonight, ok? About everything."

Tohsaka did not agree, but the fact, that she didn't oppose, was enough for Siegfried. He took a shortcut through the coniferous forest. Soon they could see the smoke from furnaces and hear the sounds coming from the small town ahead.

"Why are we going to the town?" – Rin asked, more likely to break the silence than out of curiosity.

"To buy you local clothes. I need some things for winter too."

"Right," she muttered, clearly not convinced.

"Rin, winter is a very serious matter in this region. You see, many people die every year, from cold and hunger. To survive, we must prepare, like any other living creature here and… Wait!" Siegfried stopped his horse and looked around, mostly at the sky. "What's with this sound? A storm is coming?"

She could hear it too and was somehow sure, that no storm could come so fast and be so terrifying, even if caused by Thor himself. It was something much more dangerous coming this way, an ultimate predator, a death incarnated.

The raising wind bent some trees to the ground, when the dragon came, casting his enormous shadow on the forest below. It was a strange, but majestic beast, and a huge one. Rin had to admit that she hasn't expected Fafnir to be THIS huge.

The horses started to make wild noises. Grani was fearless, but the other one has gone mad and no one could blame the poor mare for panicking. Tohsaka barely managed to stop the animal from running blindly and crash into a tree.

For a short moment, when Fafnir was right above their heads, Rin could clearly see a glowing crest on his chest. She knew this pattern just too well, but she couldn't expect, how nostalgic this view would be for her. What's more, it was really hard to understand, why such a perfect magical creature, powerful and majestic, could spread only terror and death.

"It's so big!" – that was everything what excited Siegfried said, watching the dragon with his eyes wide open. As Rin expected, there was no sign of fear in his gaze, only pure admiration, maybe even some kind of respect.

"Of course, it's a dragon!" She looked around, trying to analyze the situation. "Too bad there are only pines here, they will burn like torches…"

Siegfried wanted to answer but he suddenly changed his mind, realizing where the beast was heading. His face turned pale in an instant.

"The town… the people!" – he shouted and galloped ahead without a second thought.

"Wait! What are you going to do?!" Tohsaka followed him, visibly angry.

"I don't know, I'll come up with something on the way!"

"Stop right now, you idiot!"

A moment later the fire has fallen from the sky and a roar of the raging beast drowned out the cries of the scared townsfolk, burning alive.

* * *

"It was just stupid! So stupid, that I have no words for you!" Rin was cleaning Siegfried's wounds and she was not delicate. After all, he needs to be punish for his recklessness! The skin on his hands and arms up to his elbows was burnt and covered with blisters. "You're so stupid! Stupid, stubborn brat! You could have died from burn shock or something!"

But Siegfried wasn't listening to her scolding at all. With a wide smile, he was looking at two children, now safe in their mother's arms. For him the outcome was clearly worth the risk.

Rin still couldn't believe what this crazy kid had just done. The town was in chaos when they came, people were screaming and running around, trying to save themselves. There was a woman, rescued by her husband, who was desperately trying to go back to the burning house. It seemed that the two of their four children were still inside but the situation was already hopeless. The roof was about to collapse at any moment and no one could break through the flames untouched.

Seeing what was happening, Siegfried jumped off his horse, dipped his coat in a water from the nearest barrel, barely wrapped himself with the wet cloth and ran into the burning house. It was so reckless, that Rin was struck speechless by his stupidity back then. She followed him inside and found him just in time to stop the burning ceiling from falling on his empty head. They wouldn't have made it without magic, no doubt.

One of the kids, with a face still covered in black ash, smiled back to Siegfried and waved his little hand in thanks. Tohsaka sighed heavily, defeated. The view was just too cute to be angry anymore.

"Rin, I'm sorry for scaring you," Siegfried said finally, lowering his head. Tohsaka was sure, that he did it mostly to hide a painful grimace on his face, not because he was really sorry. These wounds were serious enough to knocked him out for some time, yet he still insisted on arguing with her.

"I wasn't scared!"

"So for worrying you then…"

"I wasn't wor…!" - she hesitated and let go eventually. It would be a shameless lie. She was scared and worried, for a moment she even thought, that she has lost him, and it was not a nice feeling. Not at all.

But the brat like him doesn't have to know everything, right?

"Anyway I'm very sorry for causing you troubles. But I think I can't promise, that I won't do it again. No one knows, what may happen in the future."

Rin gave him a gaze as burning as the dragon fire, but stopped complaining at last.

"Fine. I accept your apology." She pointed her finger at him in an accusatory manner. "But don't think that I'm not angry at you!"

"Of course."

For a moment Rin wondered, if they were still acting according to the legend, but she couldn't remember such episode. Maybe it was meaningless? Well, it mattered for this one family, maybe for all citizens of this town, but it was not epic yet, right? It would be good for some wandering local deity, a stray god, desperately collecting prayers, but not enough to be put into a greater story… Not yet.

A smile vanished from Siegfried's face when he looked at the ruins around. Some people were still trying to find members of their familes among charred corpses, others were trying to save the remnants of their property from the ashes. All animals and many of the people have been eaten by Fafnir, the dragon did not spare even cheese and grain reserves for the winter. The beast devoured everything they had and it was only a snack for him.

"It's too late, they will not survive like this." Siegfried clenched his fist in frustration, but it turned out to be too painful for him now, so he only sighed. "I've told them to seek shelter in the capital. There's a chance that Alv has enough food for them all." He shook his head. "He must take care of them, it's his duty as a king."

"So there's a chance that the king would not give them shelter?"

His silence was too long to be meaningless.

"He's a honorable man. And a good king," he said eventually, trying to convince himself, not Rin. And something more was clearly still troubling him. "It's just hard to believe that this… Fafnir came, took what he wanted to take, set the village on fire and flew away."

"This is how dragons behave."

"This is how dragons ask to be killed, Rin."

Again Tohsaka couldn't deny that he was right. There was something more in his words, in his burning gaze, and she soon realized, what it was.

_I see… So this is how heroes and legends are born._

* * *

"You should rest now, don't you think?"

Siegfried glanced at Rin over his shoulder. He was sitting on blanket, on the edge of the campfire, and was staring at the stars. Tohsaka was really worried about him – his injuries caused him more troubles than just a pain and risk of infection, he couldn't even eat or drink normally with his burnt hands.

Moreover, he was not as talkative as before and seemed a little nervous, like before making an important decision or something…

"I am resting." He gave Rin a thin smile. "As a child I used to do it very often – sitting like this, watching the sky and overthinking things… In a place like this I can feel like the earth is filling me with energy. Strange, isn't it?"

Rin smiled gently and sat on the blanket next to him. It wasn't strange at all for someone with such unique magic circuits. Every magus of this era could literally take the energy from the air, what was enough to make Rin extremely jealous, but Siegfred was… like a child of the land itself.

But it was not a good moment to enlighten him in this matter, not when he's just proved to be so uncontrollably enthusiastic about taking the unexpected risk.

"You wanted to talk?" – she said, simply to change the subject, and he nodded in response.

To Tohsaka's surprise, he didn't want to know much about his future and legend (she summarized it anyway, to make things clear), but all about her, Alaya, Counter Guardians and the modern world. He was curious about literally everything, just like she remembered from the Holy Grail War.

"Sounds strange… What kind of war was it?"

Cursing her own carelessness, she decided to tell him everything about Servants, Masters and all the stuff, which he should not know, yet or ever.

Siegfried needed a long while to completely absorb this new knowledge.

"So… if nothing unexpected happens, I'll become a Servant too?"

"Yes, you'll be very famous, so there's no other way." Rin touched the bandages on his hand. The skin beneath them was still hot and it had to hurt like hell, but he bravely ignored the pain. _Maybe even too bravely_ , Rin thought. _He should care of himself more_. "I've summoned you once. In a Rider class."

"Really?" He chuckled. "Not a Saber? Ah, so that's why you know me...?! And you've won?"

"Yes, yes, yes and yes." Now Rin smiled to her memories, but it was a very sad smile.

Siegfried was thinking in silence, after all there were many completely new and insane facts to analyze. It seemed that, of all those revelations, he found one thing especially interesting and important.

"Was I… a good Servant?" – he asked, looking Rin in the eyes.

"Yes," she answered with no hesitation. "I felt safe with you."

Siegfried smiled widely, truly happy. For Tohsaka it was an extremely strange reaction. Why did he bother?

"Why you're so excited about it?"

"Because it means that we will meet again and I will be able to show my gratitude."

"You're showing it pretty well… for an annoying brat."

"Wait, is this the first time you've actually said something nice about me, Rin?"

"Don't be mean!"

"Sorry."

He smiled but Tohsaka could see that he's really tired. In a random act of kindness she even let him lay down on a blanket with his head on her lap.

For a few moments they were just looking at the sky together. Rin thought that it's true – the best friend is the one with whom you can just sit together in silence and still understand each other.

"Rin, I know it's a strange question, but I'm just curious." Siegfried took a deep breath before continuing. "Would you like to stay here? I mean live here, if you could?"

A truly unexpected question, indeed. And a suspicious one. It meant that he cares too much and may do something extremely stupid… again.

"It's not possible."

"I'm not asking, if it's possible, but what do you want, Rin."

She sighed. Siegfried was right, but she's never thought about it. There was no 'later' for a Counter Guardian. There was only a current task. No future, no 'live happily ever after'. Not for her, who was long dead and deserved no second chance.

"I have a debt to repay. I can't just abandon this task halfway, can I?"

"No, it would mean that you lack honor and cannot be trusted," he said, but he sounded extremely sad. "So I guess it can't be helped."

Rin had no more strength and desire to get angry, but he did it again. What was he thinking? What kind of suspicious arrangements did he make with Odin?

"You can't just trust me, Rin, can you?"

She blinked, utterly surprised.

"I didn't say anything."

"You did." He smiled to her from below and she could feel a warm blush on her cheeks. "Your eyes said everything. And by the way… I'm not a kid, you know? I'm an adult for three, no… four years. If not in the woods, I would probably have a wife and children already." He sighed. "I guess that the king wanted to use me to form an alliance or something. But there was no offer good enough… yet."

"You're so calm about it?"

"Well, you've said that it won't happen, right? And it still sounds better than a lonely life here."

"Maybe. But why you just don't leave to find happiness elsewhere?"

"I've thought about it, more than once." He shrugged. "But Regin said that he needs me to do something important, as a payment for his care. And I thought that mothe…" He stopped suddenly and closed his eyes. "No, it doesn't matter anymore."

Although she was curious, Rin did not force him to continue. The night was so calm and his company so nice, that she did not want to ruin the atmosphere with stupid questions.

"Well, for me you're still a brat," she said with a smile. "You still would be just a kid in my world."

"But we are in my world now, so please respect our rules."

"Why you're so stubborn about this?" Not that he wasn't stubborn about everything else, but she wanted to know anyway.

"You'll see." His wide smile did not bode well for the future. "But let's meet our fate and survive the next night first."

_Yes, he's right_ , Tohsaka thought. The night of the full moon was coming and she would not let anyone mess with the Counter Force. She will defend this kid without fail even against a whole troop of Fafnirs.

_Come, all the creatures of the North! I'm ready._

* * *


	5. The Ring of Fire

_It was an unforgivable weakness? Or maybe just the opposite – the only right way to act in this situation?_

* * *

"She's firing swords at us! Or rather a magic in the shape of swords!"

Hildr, the golden-haired valkyrie on a golden-haired stallion, materialized in Odin's room. She was more than excited, bleeding from many minor wounds, and unable to understand, why almost all the sisters can't defeat a single foreigner. Well, maybe that strange woman was made of magic, but they were all gods! Immortal warriors, damn it!

"Please, father, send Brynhildr!" Mist, the most peaceful of nineteen maidens, who liked composing battle songs and protecting skalds more than fighting, came in a moment later. "She's the strongest of us."

"Together we'll smash that bitch!" - said Thrud, who always assisted Mist. She was a daughter of Thor and, just like her father, was extremely strong but not very subtle. And, just like the god of thunder, she preferred hammers to swords and rode a wolf instead of a horse.

Odin seemed to ignore them completely, focused on a bowl full of water, standing on a stone platform in the centre of the room. The water surface was like a mirror, or rather a screen, showing every detail of the ongoing battle in the woods. The trees around were broken, some of them were burning and the demon-like woman in a strange red cloak had no mercy for her enemies. Werewolves have already retreated, there was no reason for them to die in such a meaningless, uneven fight. Their enemy was good, like the one-man army.

"Go, hold on a little longer. I want to see this red witch tired. Force her to slow down, it's your task for now."

Three valkyries bowed reluctantly and returned to the battlefield. Odin looked into the bowl again and gave the last maiden in the room, the spear wielder, a sign to come closer. She was extremely beautiful but also strangely sad, with her long, almost white hair, and pale skin. She seemed totally not interested in all this mess and hasn't said a word since her arrival, but Allfather knew that she was observing the battlefield over his shoulder.

"What do you think, Brynhildr?"

She barely glanced at the fighters, focused on the young man, protected by this strange magical creature. He was visibly worried and… angry. Valkyrie knew well this kind of anger, a frustration of the warrior, who wants to join the battle, but is not able to do anything. Yet he was calm and intelligent enough to tame his desire to intervene, knowing that he would be no more than a burden for the woman in red.

The expression on his face seemed honest and Brynhildr really like it. She hated liars or people without honor, and emotions of this young man were all visible in his eyes. He was like a pure and innocent child of the forest, free from corruption, from wickedness of social interactions. This one clearly had all the good traits of a man of the North, he could be a true hero, an example to follow. She did not understand, why they were attacking such person. To test him, maybe?

Or perhaps she was misled by his attractive appearance? No, it wasn't like that. Her eyes may be fooled, but not her heart, sensitive to characters of people. And her heart found this young man extremely beautiful, bright and wild like a mountain stream.

"He can become a fine warrior, but he needs a teacher."

"Indeed." Odin smiled, like it was the expected answer, an undeniable truth. "And what about the woman? Could you defeat her?"

Brynhildr frowned, thinking for a moment.

"Perhaps, but… father, if she's invincible and we are immortal, isn't this fight just stupid?"

Allfather chuckled, again pleased by her answer.

"That's the point, child. We need to cut off her power first. So listen, you must perform a ritual with your sisters, but exactly how I'll tell you…"

* * *

_Damn you, Archer, for such problematic magic circuits!_

Tohsaka kept repeating this curse like a mantra for the last years of her life and nobody knows how long after death. She tried to force her own circuits to imitate Shirou's projection magic. It was possible, of course, just looking at what Zouken had done to Sakura once was the proof. But it was a long and painful process. And Rin did not succeed completely – she was not able to project a 'true' weapon, only an imitation, a magic in the form of a blade. Nothing left of the original attributes of those weapons, but they still were very useful as substitutes for broken phantasms or a rain to repel an attacking army.

Rin was using them now and she unleashed hell. She could feel a pure energy flowing through her veins and was sure, that she's able to hold her ground as long as needed.

A sudden burst of joy on the battlefield was a clear sign that a new enemy has just arrived. Tohsaka was curious what kind of reinforcements could cause such an enthusiasm and she did not have to wait long to find it out.

Her opponent was moving so fast, that Rin could barely see anything more than a bright blurred shape. Those attacks were problematic, five thrusts from different directions, quick and powerful strikes, but someone with an endless battle experience could predict and avoid them quite easily. For a mortal warrior every blow could be deadly, a Counter Guardian was only distracted.

And Tohsaka, focused on this dangerous spear, did not notice that other valkyries started forming a circle around both fighters. Some strange whispers surrounded her and the air within the ring became heavy. Whatever was coming, it was dangerously powerful.

"Siegfried, it's a trap! Run!"

Literally in the last moment Rin managed to kick him out of the circle, hoping that she hasn't broken his bones in the process. Even with her superhuman speed she couldn't escape. It was just too late.

_I really screwed up this time._

Just then the ring on the ground started to burn.

The flames were higher than the trees and it was certainly not a normal fire. More than magical, it was a sacred circle, a purifying ring, able to disconnect all influence from the outside. A support from the world itself has been cut off so suddenly, that Rin just collapsed on the burnt ground, barely able to move.

_How… could they?_ She did not suspect that it's even possible. _I see. This is why they needed time till the full moon. To gather all the sisters and prepare this forgotten ritual. I underestimated them, it's my fault. Well, it seems that they not call you 'a god' without a reason…_

Already on her knees, defenseless and exhausted, Tohsaka finally had a chance to look the spear wielder in the face.

_So this is Brynhildr? Strong and beautiful, just like the legend says. Wait, am I fainting? I've almost forgot how it feels like_ …

Her last thought was about Siegfried – Rin truly wanted to believe that this annoying brat just this once did what she asked and ran away.

* * *

Brynhildr didn't like this kind of fighting, depending on magic tricks was not like her. She knew a few runes but tried not to use them, often or at all, believing in her own abilities. Her fate was placed on the tip of her spear and even now she believed, that she could defeat the red woman without such dirty tricks.

But Odin's orders were clear this time and Brynhildr could only sigh and obey. She was about to strike, when a sudden movement on the right alarmed her. A magnificent stallion jumped through the ring of fire and valkyrie wondered, who's the rider, skilled and trustworthy enough to befriend this fearless creature.

Of course it was the young man from before, his eyes were even more blue than in the water mirror, his hair seemed to be silver in the moonlight. He was like a winter wolf and it reminded Brynhildr, that wolves are extremely loyal and would never abandon a wounded companion.

So he broke through the sacred flames to save this woman… how wonderful! Just splendid! Brynhildr could only dream about someone like him. Will she ever meet a man ready tohat only for her? Probably it was the deepest desire of every woman, no matter where or when one lives. It would be even worth giving up immortality.

Their eyes met and the sad valkyrie hesitated for a second. Her hand with the spear trembled. At this moment she knew, that she's lost more than a chance to finish this battle.

It was an unforgivable weakness? Or maybe just the opposite – the only right way to act in this situation?

Anyway, the 'enemies' ran away and Brynhildr could not hold her smile for too long.

She was sure that, no matter what happens next, her heart will never be the same.

* * *

Siegfried has never been this worried in his entire life.

He kept galloping through the woods, with unnaturally cold and unconscious Tohsaka in his arms, until Grani refused to go any further. The horse saved the day, so they stopped eventually, realizing, that distance doesn't really matter for valkyries.

This part of the forest was extremely quiet and it seemed that no one was pursuing them. Why? Has Rin been already mortally wounded and it was just not worth the effort?

Siegfried has found a relatively safe hideout and at least tried to warm up Tohsaka's limp body, using all their remaining clothes and fire. It was useless. He might as well try to bring a stone statue to life. Her lips were dry and she had an awful circles under her eyes. It looked like even maintaining the material body was now too much for her.

He sighed. By sitting here, worrying and holding Rin's hand he would not save her, right? He had to come up with something quickly. Soon. No, now, to be honest.

"Ouch!"

Something has fallen from the tree and hit Siegfried in the head. He picked up a strange stone from the ground and froze, amazed. It was not a stone, but a special jewel, able to be filled with something extremely precious - a true ether. The gem was shinning with an inner light, and was as big as a fist of a full grown man.

As far as Siegfried knew, such priceless crystals usually don't grow on trees. He looked up at the branch from where the stone fell, but noticed only a little jay, which was observing him from above with its black, shiny eyes.

And then the bird spoke:

"Oh, jays are so clumsy! They pick up some random stuff, drop it, then forget about it."

Siegfried blinked, not believing his own eyes. There was no jay on a branch anymore, but a strange man, not truly elegant or messy, but a weird mix of both. His aura was equally suspicious – not as divine as the atmosphere around Odin, but also less magical than Rin's.

"What?" The bird-like stranger smiled, amused by Siegfried's reaction. "This is how oaks are seeded, you didn't know? By birds and squirrels, forgetting where their acorns fell."

"This is definitely not an acorn." The young warrior shook his head, finally understanding, what's going on. "And you are not just an ordinary shape shifter, but Loki, right?"

A wide smile from above was a sign, that he'd guessed correctly.

"How sweet… Well, if you ask, how it became my possession, I can tell you, that it was just like with an acorn. A Jotun dropped it." He stroke his chin, pretending to wonder about something. "Or maybe it was drunk Thor? I'm not sure, really. You cannot see any difference between them, you know?"

Siegfried raised one eyebrow, clearly not believing in any word of this problematic god.

"And you're giving it to me… just like that?"

"Well, if you really insist, young blacksmith, you can make a little trinket for me as a payment." Loki gave him another wide smile. "But don't expect me to give it back, when a pissed Jotun or drunk Thor comes to retrieve the crystal one day."

Siegfried only sighed heavily and nodded. It was not a big deal after all, even if there are some troubles hidden behind it. His current problems were serious enough to not care anymore.

"Good, another nice agreement made today, how sweet." The god of mischief crossed his arms, like he was waiting for the show. "Go on. Try it. Use it, what are you waiting for?"

"How?" It wasn't a very intelligent answer, but the only one possible in this unexpected situation.

"Oh, she didn't tell you about your magic? How sweet…" Loki smiled and prepared for a longer speech. "You see, normally the kind of magecraft, which you possess, is useless, kid. A true magus, just like your unconscious friend right there or - no bragging - me, can produce energy and then store it to some extent." While speaking, he kept waving his legs in the air, like an excited child. "Your circuits are useless, empty as stalks of sweet flag or ruins of some Roman ducts. No energy at all. Nothing appears, nothing stays. Sad, isn't it?" When Siegfried tried to answer, Loki raised his hand to silence him. "But! You're not a fountain or a lake, you are a river! It flows! Everything flows through you, from the land itself! It's not a simple magical energy but a true ether, from which the bodies of the gods are made. What do you think that means?"

Siegfried was thinking for a while, remembering, how Rin used to prepare her spells. The jewels were truly like an acorns, a storage of energy, ready to use later at will. If what Loki said is true, with this crystal Siegfried will be able to cast spells like a normal magus... no, like a magical creature. Or at least use these reserves to transfer the energy to something - or someone - else.

He glanced at pale Rin. She looked like an empty shell, like a lifeless doll. If he really can provide enough energy to wake her up…

"Exactly." The god of mischief has easily read his mind. "You need to hurry. She was cut off drastically, she will vanish before the sunset."

"But how…?"

"I have no idea." Loki chuckled. "Don't look at me like that, there are your circuits, not mine." Well, this explanation sounded logical enough. Probably. "Just trust your instinct or something? I'm sure it's a lot easier than blacksmithing."

Loki winked and Siegfried was not sure if he tries to encourage him or is just making fun of this situation.

"But she won't be hurt if something goes wrong?"

"Well, there is always a risk when an unskilled mage tries to do something spectacular. You may, for example, overuse local ley lines and kill every living creature in this forest. Or make a very big explosion." Loki shrugged, like it did not matter for him and perhaps it was true. "You will try anyway, right?"

"Of course… Wait! Where are you going?"

"To watch the explosion from a safe distance, obviously!"

And he vanished, leaving Siegfried worried with a shining gem in his hands.

"So… I will save Rin or blow up the entire area?" He smiled. "This is what you get from making a shady deals with the trickster god, huh?"

But it was not a really difficult decision for Siegfried. He was certain that Tohsaka is worth the risk.


	6. A Dream of the Lost Soul

_"_ _Father, please don't do this to him, it's just too cruel," she said quietly, but did not really expect that Odin would change his mind._

_"_ _It has to be done."  
_

* * *

Sometimes the cold is so piercing, that one's skin reacts like being burnt. So cold, that one feels hot instead, like every inch of one's body is set on fire. Siegfried felt like this once, about eight years ago, when he fell into the river in the middle of the winter.

Actually he didn't fall but was thrown to the freezing water by Regin. The old dwarf used to train him during usual daily activities and, while fishing or passing a river, he ordered the boy to stand on the boat and exercise with a sword. It was a perfect way to learn how to keep balance – and an effective one, because, although young and inexperienced, Siegfried was now standing firmly on his feet during the swordfight, able to defend against even some powerful blows of Tohsaka.

He couldn't really remember why Regin punished him back then. Most likely it was because of some troublesome questions, like why he can't make friends with the locals in the town. The dwarf answered: 'it's just forbidden' and when his pupil kept asking why is that, a punishment happened. They repeated this story many times, until Siegfried understood that arguing with his foster father is futile.

That day the young prince not only was thrown out from the boat, but also abandoned in the middle of the river and forced to swim all the way back to the shore. He managed to reach it somehow, but almost froze to death and his body felt like it started to burn from the inside. He was not really sure, how he had survived this unpleasant experience… Maybe he used unintentionally the energy from the land to keep himself alive? Or maybe he had a deeper connection to this place and Nature than he suspected?

Anyway, now it was just the same, he felt like being casted into the flames. He had no idea if it's cold or hot anymore. Numb and exhausted, he would do anything to stop this feeling of fire burning through his veins… or rather circuits, suddenly opened and forced to transfer too much energy at once.

The sudden urge to just lay down on the cold ground and sleep was unbearable. And there was nothing he could do to resist it.

* * *

Rin did not lose his connection with Alaya, not even for a second. She was somehow aware of everything around her, just unable to react, like she was trapped inside her mind for some time. Only her energy was cut off, she was like a machine on standby, not really working, but yet not completely put to sleep.

What a strange ritual they performed… Tohsaka suspected, that it was a special kind of Reality Marble, a completely new space inside the ring of fire, where the laws of the universe have been rewritten to Odin's liking. Well, he and the nineteen valkyries are gods and gods create worlds, there is nothing truly special about it. Siegfried was right, Rin must respect the rules of this reality to win or even to survive. It was his world – a truly insane but also beautiful, wild place, where a true heroic soul can be forged in the flames of battle.

Time was passing and Tohsaka, totally defenseless, was slowly losing her material body. Then a powerful wave of pure energy came from the outside. It was warm and very nice, a strange feeling somehow similar to a hug from a lover or someone equally close. But the energy itself was different than usual – not mana, but something more powerful, more condensed. Just a little bit was enough to fully restore her and someone gave her much more than she really needed. It was an energetic feast, which left Tohsaka literally drunk, like a person, who always drinks wine but suddenly decided to try a whole bottle of vodka.

Rin 'woke up' immediately after the transfer ended, just to find herself under the blanket and a pile of clothes. She easily recognized Siegfried's shirt among them and almost screamed, seeing him nearby, lying on the ground and covered by a thin layer of a freshly fallen snow.

"Siegfried, are you crazy?! Wake up! It's cold, what are you doing?!"

"Wh… I'm sorry. I just wanted to sleep…"

"Half-naked? It's winter, don't you know?!"

She blushed, realizing something. It looks like he was the one to restore her energy, but… an inexperienced magus usually had only one way to do so and Rin was strangely nervous about this idea.

"It was hot," he explained, still not able to stand up. His eyes were unfocused, a deep shade of fatigue darkened this beautiful blue. "It's still hot. And you were so cold, and I was afraid, and…"

Something was clearly wrong with Siegfried. The way he was speaking now, using simple but chaotic, incomplete sentences, was not like him. Rin touched his forehead to check the fever and frowned, truly worried.

"No wonder it's hot, you're burning!" There was more hidden compassion than reprimand in her words. "What have you done?"

"A transfer," he said simply and clung to her hand like a dog longing for the touch of his owner.

"You didn't try any magical ritual, which requires a close physical contact?" She sighed heavily. A look on his face was enough to say that he did not understand this subtle hint. "You know, like transferring energy directly from person to person, man to woman, body fluids and stuff…"

His expression changed drastically.

"N-no!" He was embarrassed, but not enough, in Rin's opinion. "So it's also possible this way? Damn, I wish I knew it sooner!"

"Hey, what that supposed to mean?" Rin's face turned red, not only from anger.

"The crystal is dangerous. More than body fluids."

"What crystal?"

"I'll tell you later." He looked truly exhausted and miserable, like he was going to vomit. "Please… let me sleep."

Tohsaka, now calmer, helped Siegfried change position and covered him with a blanket. His body was hot, like something was still burning his circuits from the inside. And she noticed some darker places on his skin, a few stains where its surface looked like it was tanned.

_To think that he's affected even before he challenged a dragon… Just like Archer, always overusing magic too strong for him._

"Stupid brat."

"I know."

"No, you don't. Listen, you shouldn't have risked your life for me. I'm here to protect you, so don't you dare try to save me ever again!"

"Don't say such stupid things, Rin." Siegfried closed his eyes. "If I ever let my best and only friend die, I will kill myself a moment later. I just…"

"Just what?" She was truly shocked by his words. It was not his kind of speaking, but she was somehow sure that it was his way of thinking. Finally she was able to know what's really happening inside his head, so she let him continue, despite his tone and unusual behavior. She found it morally wrong, just the same as using the fact that a drunk man is usually honest. Well, it was not nice to take advantage of his temporary insanity, but her intentions were good, right?

"Nothing, I… I just love you so much, that I can't stand even a thought of losing you."

Rin froze, really scared. To see this composed young man in such state, mumbling in a fever and saying things he would never tell normally… He's dying or what?

What should she do? He needs to be warmed up or just the opposite? This fever is magical or normal? Is it really a fever in the first place?

Feeling that Siegfried finally has fallen asleep, she sighed and held him tight. There was nothing more she could really do, only guard him like this and change bandages on his burnt hands.

"Don't do this again, please," she whispered. "How do you think I'll feel if you die?"

Well, she would probably cry a lot and it would be a shame, to let a guy make her cry, right?

Tohsaka sighed again and looked around. Strange as it may seem, there was no pursue. Why? They were both easy to be tracked and defeated right now, so why no one bothered? Even a ginger mare was able to find them and has already joined Grani in their little camp. Could it be that Siegfried's death is not the purpose of all this mess? Is it possible, that all previous assumptions were incorrect?

Something was wrong with this story and Rin suspected, that too many things were going differently than they should. If the things were arranged like that and now set into motion purposely, it would suggest that a very complicated plan has been prepared. Does it mean that someone intended to deceive Alaya? Is it even possible?

No, rather not… Maybe this timeline will be deleted in the end and it's only a big, experimental playground – to test something or someone, or just to grant Tohsaka's dying wish? Or a dream, a totally insane one, a kind of trance or system error, with no particular reason? Just a dream of the lost soul.

_Maybe even souls can dream sometimes, who knows?_

Rin took a deep breath and caressed gently a strand of Siegfried's almost silver hair.

"You shouldn't have saved me, the risk was too great," she whispered with affection and smiled. "But I'm glad you did it. I know it's so selfish and wrong, but… I want to stay with you a bit longer, you know?"

It was wrong to be emotionally involved, Rin knew it. She was just an old soul of a dead mercenary and has no right to use and harm the feelings of this young, lively man. She will vanish one day and he may suffer because of that. It was truly wrong and cruel to even give him hope.

But what if this is only a meaningless timeline? What if this is the only way she could repay her debt? He will suffer anyway, even more if she rejects him now, and lying that she doesn't care is even worse.

Tohsaka sighed the third time and, pretending that it's only to check the fever, she kissed his dry lips. After all, even an uncomfortable truth is better than a lie, isn't it?

* * *

Brynhildr walked up slowly to the bowl full of water, which was standing on a stone platform in the centre of her father's room. She deliberately took advantage of the fact, that Odin was not here, to take a look and satisfy her curiosity.

The mirror of divination shows exactly what one wants to see, ignoring the barriers of space and time. Brynhildr didn't have to vocalize her wish to see the future of the one she strangely cares for.

There he was, just as she remembered, the silver wolf, a pure creature, the honest and loyal one among corrupted people. Also his name was no more a secret to her – she repeated it quietly several times and smiled, pleased by the sound. It was a fitting name, perfect for a king, with a beautiful dream of victory and peace behind it.

But there was much more to see in the sacred water: a strange events and adventures, some cunning people and dangerous creatures around him. Brynhildr held her breath, truly surprised.

There were flowing rivers of magic. A sacred golden sword and the streams of hot blood. A child of Nature will become one with the energy of the earth. And – finally - a mindless beast, forced to serve the others for all eternity…

Brynhildr jumped back from the mirror, frightened and shocked. Breathing heavily, she rushed to the door, determined to take action, to prevent these awful events from happening. She has to do something, immediately warn this young man before he'll take a path of destruction.

"Where are you going, Brynhildr?"

She turned away to face Odin, who didn't look surprised. He must have known of her intrusion and just let her see what she wanted to see.

"So this is what you've planned…" Brynhildr shook her head, still not really able to believe it. "You've never wanted to kill him, right? That's why you haven't punished me for letting them escape."

There was no a feeling of guilt or shame in her voice, rather an accusation and frustration. She felt utterly disappointed. In her opinion, the father of gods shouldn't act like this, even if his intentions are good and the final goal is very important. There must be another way…

Odin did not say anything, he just stared at his daughter with his one scary eye. Brynhildr shivered under this heavy gaze, as always struck by the feeling that she's looking into the abyss.

"Father, please don't do this to him, it's just too cruel," she said quietly, but did not really expect that Odin would change his mind.

"It has to be done."

"Why to him? He's the greatest of men here."

"And that's the reason, my child." Odin smiled gently, like a true fatherly figure, who knows that his pupils will overcome every possible difficulties. "Now promise me that you won't tell anyone what you've seen here and I will forget about your little disobedience."

Brynhildr was visibly hesitant. She grasped the spear so hard, that her hand started to hurt. What should she do? Obey and stop thinking about it? There's nothing she can do anyway, right?

No, it was wrong. Just wrong. This man did nothing to deserve it, no one deserves such terrifying fate.

_I must go now and warn him. I will save him. I will…_

"No, my child, you're not going anywhere and you will tell nothing." Just one move of Odin's hand was enough to immobilize Brynhildr with magic. "You will sleep, surrounded by the ring of fire, until the one brave enough to cross the flames will come to wake you up and take you as his mortal wife."

"Father…" Her eyes were filled with tears, but she refrained from showing weakness. Her pride was too great to let her be broken so easily.

"What? Is it not the deepest desire of your heart? Don't you dream about a true love of a hero? I will grant your wish, my dear child."

Brynhildr knew that Odin was right. Her heart has betrayed her already and was longing for something she could never have. Or maybe there is still hope and her punishment will become a salvation one day?

_But the price is just too high_.

Her eyes closed against her will and Brynhildr, a helpless victim of fate, has fallen into a long, dreamless sleep.

* * *

The earth was in pain, he could clearly feel it.

There were too many humans but not enough trees. The air was heavy and smelled awfully, the countless shades of green were replaced by a depressing gray. There were no more nice wooden houses, only some ugly metal towers. A countless artificial lights on the ground made the stars lonely and no longer visible.

_Is this… the future?_

He wanted to do something, to help, but it was hopeless. He was not even a person anymore, just a lost, nameless soul with a long forgotten purpose.

Siegfried knew that he was dreaming, but he couldn't wake up. Trapped between consciousness and delusion, he started to slowly lose his sense of identity.

_'…_ _was it just a dreaming of my heart?_

_Now I'm crying, don't know why…'_

Someone was singing and Siegfried couldn't tell from where the song came – a future or past times, the outside world or his own mind? A voice was strangely sweet and probably belonged to a woman, but he was not really sure. The words of this song and its soothing melody were his only connection to the fading reality.

_'_ _Where have all my memories gone?_

_I can never rest my soul_

_until you call my name_

_you call my name, from the heart.'_

"Siegfried?"

This new voice was easily recognizable and very precious for him. It was difficult, but Siegfried managed to open his eyes at last.

"Finally!" Rin's happy face was the best first view after waking up he could imagine. "Everything's fine?"

He was staring at her for a long while without a word and then he just smiled.

"So you're back and safe… I'm so glad that it worked."

"Of course it worked!" She raised an eyebrow and checked his pulse, just to make sure if he's not seriously ill or something worse. "We've already talked about it. You don't remember?"

Siegfried narrowed his eyes, trying to focus, but it was still not easy.

"Oh. Did I say something… inappropriate?"

"Not really. Well, let's say it was unexpected, that's all."

"Oh, yes. I remember now." A cold determination in his gaze made Tohsaka strangely content. "And I have no intent of taking my words back no matter what you'll think or say."

He expected a typical verbal attack with a lot of words like 'stupid' and 'brat' in use, but Rin only gave him a beautiful smile. Somehow it scared him ever more.

"Later. Now tell me about this crystal and the woman with a spear."

* * *

"I don't understand, please explain." Tohsaka facepalmed, defeated. "You've almost burnt yourself to death and you're telling me that this is fine?"

"Because it's just me. No one else is hurt, right?" Siegfried leaned against a tree trunk with his eyes partially closed. He looked as terrible as before and Rin was mad at herself for not knowing how to help him.

But he certainly was not going to die and gave her a lot of useful information. There were still too many unknowns to plan their future tactics.

It seemed that Brynhildr let them escape, but Siegfried had no idea why she did it. He noticed only the fact that her eyes were full of sadness. Tohsaka made him angry when she said that 'only a kid would meet a beautiful woman and admire no more than her eyes'. After a short and firm declaration, that the spear wielding valkyrie is totally not his type, Rin wondered if the history hasn't been changed too much already…

And Loki – why this problematic god decided to interfere? It was really a good will or a trap? Siegfried suspected that only because of Loki's help they were still alive and safe in the forest, but Rin seemed not convinced.

Then the crystal. It was the original one, which should be soon placed in the hilt of true Balmung. Tohsaka checked the jewel and was impressed. So the condensed energy, which is flowing through her body, is a true ether? Will she be affected by this new power? Are there any side effects of mixing different kinds of energy?

_Too many questions with no answers. But one thing is certain – Siegfried's magic is far more dangerous than it seems, especially for him._

"I guess there's no other way..." Tohsaka sighed painfully, like after making a hard decision. "To keep you alive and safe I will have to teach you how to use magic, not only a sword."

"Really?" His eyes brightened, a hope and happiness in his gaze. "This is great! But please don't tell anyone. It's very important to keep it secret."

"Why?"

"Because people will call me _ergi_ if they know," he explained reluctantly.

"Er-what?" Tohsaka was truly curious right now. "I don't know the meaning of this word."

Siegfried rolled his eyes, strangely embarrassed.

"Magic is for women here," he said with a blush. "A man doing magic is called _ergi_ , so it means something like 'unmanly'. It's a great insult here."

Rin blinked, amazed by this ridiculous theory.

"Really? But Odin uses magic, right? And he doesn't seem to be unmanly."

"Really. Don't look at me like that, I have nothing against women or spells, it's not my idea. And yes, they insult even Odin for practicing magic, so I don't expect that anyone will spare me."

The look on his face, partially embarrassed and partially apologetic, made Tohsaka smile. It was tempting to tease him a little, but he was so cute right now, that even Rin took pity on him.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise," she said and raised her hand, like making an oath. "And I can assure you that you're not unmanly, just the opposite."

Siegfried froze, not sure if she's making fun of him or not. Tohsaka laughed, she just couldn't resist anymore.

"Look at you! What a face!" She poked his chin, but the tone of her voice was surprisingly serious. "Now it's my turn to say something nice, right? I wasn't joking. I woman like me wouldn't be interested in an _ergi_ , don't you think?"

"In-interested…?" His sudden burst of enthusiasm was priceless. "Curse these wounded hands, I can't hold you properly!"

But he kept trying anyway, until Rin stopped him.

"Hugs are for kids, better check this…"

The unexpected kiss almost knocked him out.

_Is this really happening? I'm still dreaming, right?_

Well, if it was a dream, he will not let anyone wake him up.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for keep You waiting and thank You for reading! Don't hesitate to contact me or comment, if You feel the need!
> 
> A little bit of foreshadowing happened in this chapter, sumanai. And the song used here is the actual song of Yuki Kajiura – "My Long Forgotten Cloistered Sleep". It's truly beautiful, like every song from this amazing composer, so I can honestly recommend it.


	7. Have a Warm Heart in a Cold World

_He didn't even try to dodge, utterly surprised. This powerful blow in the head almost stunned him, but he gave Rin a wild smile only a second after her surprise attack._

_"_ _Challenge accepted."_

* * *

When Regin ordered Siegfried to build a hut for himself next to the old dwarf's house, he certainly did it not to make the boy happy. It was a punishment, mostly to crush his pride. The prince, and the only son of the great fallen king, first was banished from the court and then forced to work like a peasant... A nice downfall, isn't it? This building was a symbol of his long-lost status and the young warrior has never stayed inside of his own choice. He even preferred to spend the night in the woods if necessary.

Suddenly Siegfried has willingly moved to the hut, where he lived now with this strange foreign woman. The dwarf was truly shocked, but not because this decision was totally unexpected. The real reason of Regin's panic was the fact, that Siegfried did not ask for his opinion before making a move!

That was the plan of Regin – his pupil has to think bad of himself, he must be always doubtful, unable to make a single decision without help. Simultaneously, his swordsmanship must be developed, he has to become a machine to fight, to kill what and when the dwarf orders him to kill.

But, unfortunately, the boy was also intelligent, so Regin had to lie more and more to keep him obedient. It's a lot easier with Siegfried in a constantly unhappy state of mind, when an unbearable loneliness makes him grant the wishes of the others, just to feel that someone needs him sometimes.

And now… it was worse than ever and the old dwarf felt like his brilliant plan is about to collapse at any moment. He forced his pupil to work more than before, provoked him to argue, insulted him more than usual – with no effect. Well, he even ordered the boy to clean up the stables – probably the most unpleasant and idiotic task to do in the middle of the winter here – and Siegfried only shook his head and cleaned them up, whistling cheerfully during the process.

His pupil was happy and clearly had his own goal. It scared Regin more than anything.

Obviously, the red demon witch was involved, she must have seduced this naïve young man and now she wants to use him somehow. The dwarf did not truly understand the idea of feelings, especially some as abstractive as love, and the sole fact, that those 'emotions' makes people unpredictable, was for him a pain in the ass.

Why it has to happen now? Why such a strange magical witch had to appear all of a sudden? Is Siegfried blind or something? This hag is just ugly and older than his mother, what a horrible taste in women this brat has…

Fortunately, there was still time to act before the spring. It's more than enough to undermine their mutual trust, even to make them fight each other. And, if this won't work, there is still a way of magical potions of forgetfulness… Or maybe Fafnir, willingly or not, will give the dwarf a helping hand and get rid of this unexpected obstacle?

Regin rubbed his hands, thinking about the dragon's gold – HIS gold – and smiled widely. For the first time the creature, who hated warmness and the sunlight, impatiently waited for spring.

* * *

Rin yawned and slowly opened her eyes, lazily like a cat near the furnace. She liked this small cottage, clean and cozy, as much as she liked sleeping on furs. Actually, she has never slept so well in her entire life and the fact that she doesn't need sleep had absolutely no meaning right now.

_Am I… happy?_

It was possible. Siegfried's enthusiasm, his sincerity and devotion, were contagious and Tohsaka quickly got used to all her new feelings. Too quickly. She lowered her guard, ignoring the future pain, that awaits them after her mission is ended.

She reached out her hand to touch the cause of her dilemmas, but found only an empty space. It was still warm, so he probably hasn't gone too far, but…

"Damn it, he did it again!" Tohsaka grabbed the nearest fur, dressed up quickly and rushed to the door. "I'm not a Servant to automatically feel his presence! How can I protect him, if he just recklessly leaves me here?"

Mumbling like this, she came out of the house like a hurricane and almost bumped into Siegfried near the well.

"Sorry, I only wanted to freshen up a little." He wiped his hair, wet from the snow. The air was cold and Siegfried's body was steaming after a bath. "But why are you blushing?"

Tohsaka tried to remain serious, but she kept staring at his bare chest and fine abdomen. Although still young, he was already well-built and the thought, that he'll become even more muscular soon, made Rin's mind wander a little to some naughty regions.

"Because you're almost naked again!" – she blurted out just to say anything and break the awkward silence.

Siegfried's expression was priceless.

"Sorry, but I thought that we've already got used to see each other naked, Rin."

"That's not what I…! Ugh!" Without a second thought, Tohsaka grabbed some snow, formed a large ball and threw it at Siegfried with all her might. "Take this, bastard! You deserved it!"

He didn't even try to dodge, utterly surprised. This powerful blow in the head almost stunned him, but he gave Rin a wild smile only a second after her surprise attack.

"Challenge accepted."

Tohsaka's missed the moment, when an innocent snowball battle became a real fight. Siegfried was strong, but not enough to avoid being thrown over Rin's shoulder like in some professional wrestling competition. He almost disappeared in the snow, nailed to the ground. Rin sat on his chest with a triumphant expression on her face, flushed from the cold.

"That was… stupid?" Siegfried couldn't stop laughing, despite his not very favorable position.

"Still better than this so-called 'chess game' invented by Regin."

He chuckled.

"Well, I guess we're the only ones who can have a real fun playing it."

"We're freaks," Tohsaka answered with a smile. "Let's go back inside. You'll catch a cold."

"I won't. I will warm up in the forge."

Ah, this again. An everyday ritual of preparing the best alloy for his imaginary perfect sword. Tohsaka would never suspect that making blades is so difficult and time-consuming.

"May I watch?" – she asked.

"As always. You can even help, if you feel the need."

"No, thanks. I don't have to forge swords, I can project them."

"But original is always better, isn't it?"

Tohsaka rolled her eyes.

"You sound like a certain arrogant king of Uruk now, you know?"

"I don't, you must tell me about him."

"As always."

* * *

There was warm inside the forge, despite the fact that the fire was not yet burning. Tohsaka liked the atmosphere here, somehow similar to the magical lab in the basement of her old residence. Creation is always surrounded by the aura of divine mystery, even if people call it only 'a craft'.

Rin was sitting on a table in the corner of the room, looking at the wall above the furnace. They talked with Siegfried about literally everything and he's even taught her to read runes, so she quickly noticed a strange inscriptions engraved in the wood there.

Courage. Sincerity. Honor. Fidelity. Discipline. Hospitality. Self Reliance. Diligence. Perseverance. Siegfried explained that these are the nine virtues of a warrior, according to the words of Odin. Tohsaka smiled back then and told him, that she can see tell those virtues in him, but he reacted with such embarrassment, that she almost regretted it.

Then she told Siegfried about Bushido and eight virtues of the samurai: Justice, Courage, Benevolence, Politeness, Sincerity, Honor, Loyalty and Self-Control. They both agreed that the general concept of an ideal warrior is actually the same in both cultures. Siegfried was very excited and seemed interested in the history of Japan, as well as in some magnificent oriental swords. Rin decided to make a special gift for him – a calligraphy with the eight virtues. Even preparing a paint was a challenge – she had to use eggs, oil and powdered coal to make it and she even cut off a little bit of hair from Grani's tail to make a brush. But now the two list in completely different languages hung together on the wall, like two sides of the same coin.

Tohsaka smiled to her memories and looked at Siegfried. He seemed worried or rather disappointed.

"Still not good enough?" – she asked, waving her legs in the air.

"It seems so."

He tested a new blade by hitting the anvil with an enormous power. The sword broke to shining pieces and Rin again started to wonder, why this guy is so strong. It's a side effect of the curse of the Völsung tribe or the fact, that his ancestors mixed their blood with Odin long ago? Or maybe he's powered by the energy of the earth and doesn't know it?

Well, the last thought scared Tohsaka a bit. What if Odin forced Siegfried to use his dangerous and unique magic? What was his plan? Not to kill the guy but to forever bind him to the energy of the land? Why? And Alaya wanted the same fate for him?

_Could it be…? No, it's just too cruel…_

"See, it's still not good." He shrugged, determined to work until the effect will please him. "I suppose that it's not hot enough, so the metal is not as pure as I need it to become. Usually Regin uses the fire rune to raise the temperature, but I don't want to ask him for help this time. It's something I must do alone… What?"

"Nothing." Tohsaka gave him a beautiful smile. "But it's just like I said before."

She looked at the inscriptions on the wall and winked. He clearly had all those virtues, no doubt.

"You're really hopeless, Rin, making fun of me like this and all..." He ran his fingers through his hair to hide embarrassment, but then a faint, hesitant smile brightened his face. "But I guess it's fine. Because you're smiling and your smile is certainly my favourite thing."

"Stop saying awkward things, you moron," she whispered and looked away, so happy that she could cry.

Siegfried got back to work and Rin was grateful, that he turned his back to her, so he couldn't see her tears.

* * *

Thrud, the daughter of Thor, was waiting for someone in front of a cave, lazily tossing her battle hammer. Her mount, the giant black wolf, was lying nearby, seemingly asleep, but his ears were moving constantly, sensitive to every suspicious sound.

They shouldn't have come here, Thrud knew it, but she has chosen loyalty as more important than obedience. Odin warned all the valkyries, that every sister, who will try to save Brynhildr or even contact her, will share her cruel fate. But Thrud and Mist still believed in Brynhildr's innocence and her good heart. It was more than enough to take action.

The wolf raised his head and waved his tail, welcoming someone, who finally came out of the cave.

"Everything's all right?" Thrud asked, visibly worried.

"Yes." The other valkyrie, the blonde in a blue coat, looked pale and tired, but somehow content. "I've seen her within the ring of fire in the Northern mountains. I know the way to wake her up."

Thrud sighed heavily. Mist and her unique magic… It was a strange version of seidr – she gathers the souls of her ancestors, using a sacred song, and lets them possess her to look into the future and get all the answers she needs. A very dangerous and draining method, but it's possible to talk even with the Norns like this.

"So?"

"A man is needed, the fearless one, who will reach her through the fire and take as his wife."

Thrud stroke her chin. Thinking was not her main talent, but she did her best. And Mist was nice enough to give her friend some time to analyze the situation.

"You know who this man is?"

"Yes. I saw his face. The silver wolf, the tamer of the elements, the child of Nature is the one."

The hammer wielding maiden frowned.

"You mean that…?"

"Yes." Mist's gaze was full of faith, hope and determination. "For the sake of Brynhildr, we must keep him alive, even against father's will, or our beloved sister will never be free again."

"Meh." Thrud was visibly disappointed. She helped her favourite sister sit comfortable on the wolf's back. "Brynhildr deserves better."

"He's not half bad." Mist smiled, but it was not a truly joyful expression. "But I'm afraid that he won't cooperate."

"That's not a problem." The daughter of Thor shrugged and her large muscles – truly too large for a woman – were clearly visible under her shirt during this movement. "Leave it to me. I'll… convince him."

She meant 'force him', no doubt. Mist chuckled, amused by her sister's methods and her simple way of thinking. But this punishment, the curse and related things, were more complicated and unpredictable than anyone could suspect.

After all, you can't force anyone to love, right?

* * *

"So there you are in the middle of the night, wasting candles and ruining your eyesight."

Siegfried nearly fell off his chair, surprised. He was so focused, that he didn't notice Rin coming. He tried to hide something, covering it with a sleeve.

"Why are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not!" – he protested too loudly and too fiercely to ignore it. So it was something serious. "It's just… I wanted… It's a surprise…"

Tohsaka only raised one eyebrow, waiting for explanation.

"Well, you know…" He stopped and took a deep breath, trying to avoid misunderstanding. "We have no complicated customs here, so, when two people decide to live together, they just announce it to everyone, holding hands." He was so nervous that his hands were shaking. "But we're in the woods, where no one really cares, and you told me once about the future and… I wanted to try it this way, Western way, but was not sure, how exactly..." He shook his head and gave her something very small and shiny. "Anyway... it's for you."

"A ring?" Tohsaka's eyes widened at the view. It was a fire opal, which looked like a flame from a dragon's breath trapped within a stone, and a silver ring. There was a very complicated pattern carved in silver, geometric and natural at the same time. Rin had seen something like this before, in a museum, at the Norse art exhibition, long ago. "You've made a ring for me?"

"Well, I'm sorry… My fingers are not yet fully healed after the fire incident, it could have been crafted more carefully. I guess I'm better with swords, but I couldn't resist. This Firestone fits you so much."

Rin was looking at the jewelry for a while. Siegfried must have worked for many nights, hiding in the dark, decorating the silver with his wounded hands… So in every timeline they meet, he gives her a ring? It's something that cannot be changed no matter what?

Siegfried, who took this silence as a sign of discontent, looked as if he wanted to sink into the ground.

"It's beautiful," Tohsaka said at last. "Thank you. Will you put it on my finger?"

"Oh, yes." He did what she asked and kissed the tip of her nail. "Sorry."

"Stop it. No apologizing. You did nothing wrong yet, you know?"

"I know, I just feel so stupid when I'm with you…"

Rin blinked. That was unexpected.

"You're not stupid. Who told you that?"

Siegfried looked away, embarrassed. Rin supposed that his foster father must have been not very nice through all those years, not to mention Hiordis, his always unhappy, haughty mother. This must be the reason why this guy thinks, that he must do something extraordinary first to deserve attention and respect. Now she had a chance to fix this twisted way of thinking.

"Promise me one thing, ok? That you will trust your heart and won't ever do something just because someone asks you to do it. Follow your own desires, live, live to the fullest, Siegfried…"

_…_ _even if I'm gone -_ she wanted to add, but couldn't. Not yet.

His eyes were shining with affection, when he kissed her and nodded.

"I promise," he assured. For someone as stubborn and reliable as him, it was a truly binding declaration.

* * *

"And this is how Tohsaka Rin changed history."

Meanwhile in Asgard, sitting on his throne Hliðskjálf, from which all the nine worlds can be observed simultaneously, Odin burst out laughing.


	8. The Value of the World

_"_ _You are a strange creature, young warrior. Are you sure that you're a human?" The dragon sniffed several times, like checking something. "I see… in fact you're not."_

* * *

"Look, Rin! The cranes are back!"

She looked up at the sky and nodded. A characteristic formation of flying birds made her feel nostalgic, but also extremely sad.

The roads will become passable soon. It was the beginning of the end. The winter couldn't last forever. And the fact, that the spring has come, was impossible to ignore.

The famous sword has been already forged and named. This time, when Siegfried tested his new blade, the anvil broke in half. Now, during their morning training, Balmung was shining brightly in Siegfried's hands, blue from the energy accumulated within the crystal in its hilt, and every single weapon projected by Tohsaka shattered under its blows.

Still she did not intent do go easy on Siegfried and tormented him by various tricks and surprise attacks.

"Fill!" He guarded himself on time with a raised blade and answered with a powerful counterattack, adding a blast of magical energy to the strike. He has already mastered this maneuver, so his circuits were not causing him pain or fever anymore. But Rin didn't want Siegfried to use this ability too often. She feared that higher amounts of energy flowing through his body can cause irreversible changes in its structure and his possible death is not the scariest possible outcome.

"Good." She smiled, but without true happiness. There was nothing more she could teach him. To be honest, he has already surpassed her in a swordfight. Unexpectedly her next words sounded more like a farewell than an innocent joke: "It seems that you don't need me anymore."

"I will always need you, Rin."

Siegfried knew, Tohsaka was sure of it. His smile was peaceful; he looked much older than he really was, a strange wisdom, or rather understanding, was coming straight from his heart. It was not that he ignored the possibility of losing her – he just still hoped, that she'll stay. But it was like waiting for a miracle, wasn't it?

Soon even this hope may be taken away from him. So what will remain to keep him alive?

Only his last promise - to live. For her even without her.

Finally the day came, when Siegfried woke up before the dawn, kissed Rin goodbye and sneaked out from their little cottage, heading straight to the Fafnir's cave.

"I'll be back soon, don't worry," he whispered, like it was nothing, just a short stroll to the nearby village, not a fight to the death with a terrifying magical creature.

Like a coward, Rin pretended to be asleep. There was nothing she could say or do anyway, right? Any intervention was forbidden, she could only follow him and watch, and she'll do it, no doubt, but…

Why she has already regretted her decision of letting him go without a word?

* * *

Location: the Well of Fate, under the Asgardian root of Yggdrasil, Norse Mythology.

Main targets: Verdandi and Skuld, the Norns of present and future events.

His task…

"What?!"

EMIYA was not in a position to consider those new, unexpected data. He just took on his material form, under the pressure of triple gravity or more, and needed a while to start functioning properly.

Unfortunately, he hasn't received even a second of peace to take a deep breath or to look around and admire the view.

_A surprise attack? I've just materialized, give me a break…_

It was a spear, with some runes carved on its surface. The weapon was coming at him with enormous speed, swaying during the flight. With his special abilities, just one glance was enough for EMIYA to know, who has attacked him.

_So this is the famous Gungnir? It never misses the target, huh?_

All seven layers of _Rho Aias_ appeared before EMIYA's outstretched arm in an instant, additionally powered up by his personal chant. There was no need to hold back and save energy in his Counter Guardian form. There is also no possibility that the shield fails due to a lack of mana, but still the outcome couldn't be truly predicted.

_This paradox will never stop fascinating me…_

The spear pierced through the first three petals easily, but then slowed down a little. On the fifth it started to shiver and emit some horrible sounds, then broke through the sixth with an unexpected explosion, to finally stop on the last layer.

"That was interesting," said the old one-eyed man with a long beard, who seemed to come out of nowhere. Gungnir came back to his hand like a well-tamed dog.

"Indeed." EMIYA smiled. "It's a nice spear, but I've already seen better one."

"Fascinating. But I'm sure that you haven't come here to talk about weapons, Spirit of Protection?"

"No. And I haven't come here to fight you. Just to do my job."

"It would be nice to greet the local lord first and ask his permission to act on his lands, don't you think?"

"Oh? You haven't asked Alaya when you involved one of her agents in the Rheingold affair, have you?"

The father of gods did not answer, he only tried to terrify EMIYA with his piercing gaze, but failed. The red bowman has seen enough hell already to be scared by the abyss within Odin's single eye.

"I see," the Counter Guardian said with an annoying smirk. "So this is why there are so many versions of his legend? Because this is not the first time, when you mess with it?" It was more a statement than a question. "It's so hard to admit, that you were just greedy? That you screwed up and now you try to save face, by sacrificing your finest warrior and most talented daughter…"

A strange shade came across Odin's face, but he did not look truly offended. There was also no shame or guilt in his gaze, only a calm resignation.

"Is this how it looks like to a perfect stranger? Interesting." Allfather smiled. "But you don't know everything. It just had to be done."

With those last words, he changed into a golden eagle and flied away.

EMIYA frowned, suspecting, that something irreversible has happened. Odin clearly played on time and now it was too late. He retreated so easily just because he has already got what he wanted.

But the red-cloaked Counter Guardian only shrugged and got back to work. Overthinking things is pointless if you have no real control over the course of events, right?

* * *

Siegfried had no real control over this battle. It was too fast, too crazy to focus on single movements. His body reacted even before his mind could, like a machine to fight. Avoiding blows of claws, fangs and tail at once, while you're under a waterfall of furious flames and a hurricane caused by the enormous wings, it's an impossible task.

_Well, I knew it before, right? So no complaining!_

There was a moment, when the giant claws ravaged his back, and Siegfried was sure, that he won't make it alive. Only his deep faith, that Rin believes in him and awaits his return, helped him find a strength to survive.

_Hot. So hot, I feel like melting!_

Even Balmung couldn't break through Fafnir's skin without the energy from the crystal. Unfortunately, there was not enough accumulated within the jewel. Tohsaka has warned Siegfried, that he shouldn't open his circuits to the fullest capacity ever again, but…

_I'm sorry, Rin. I really have no choice._

Now he was burning from the inside too. Surprisingly, the pain did not overwhelm Siegfried, but gave him even more power and determination to finish this fight as soon as possible. He was waiting patiently for the best moment to slip under the raging beast and reach the heart…

_Just… fall at last… evil creature! Collapse!_

It worked! After an explosion of blue and gold, Fafnir roared horribly and fell on the ground, causing a small earthquake. Siegfried, wounded and exhausted, fell on his knees next to the giant head of the dying creature. He didn't expect that the monster will speak.

"So you've come for this cursed ring and the gold?"

"No," Siegfried replied simply, looking into the gigantic golden eye.

"Oh? Why then? Why you've risked your life if not for the treasure?"

"Because it had to be done, so no town will share the fate of the one you've destroyed before the winter."

Dragons have a poor facial expressions, but something in the fading gaze of the reptile told Siegfried, that Fafnir doesn't even remember that incident. It was another proof that killing the beast is the right thing.

"What are you going to do with the ring?"

"You really want to know?" Siegfried sighed, but he accepted the last wish of the dying dragon and answered honestly. There was no need to keep it secret. "I'm going to cast it back to the waters of Rhein, where it belongs."

"You are a strange creature, young warrior. Are you sure that you're a human?" The dragon sniffed several times, like checking something. "I see… in fact you're not."

"W-What do you mean?"

Fafnir only 'smiled' in response. When he spoke again after a long pause, Siegfried noticed a self-satisfaction in his roaring voice.

"Actually, I'm thankful. You have freed me from my duty, Child of Nature, so I have an advice for you. Bathe in my blood and become invincible, eat my heart and obtain my wisdom, or trust my treacherous brother and die."

The dragon chuckled, or rather tried to do so, but a hot blood has already filled his mouth. The last words were barely understandable and Siegfried doubted, if they had any meaning.

"R…mber, d…ons are… ents of Gai…, the gua… must be… r…aced."

And Fafnir, the evil reptile, the greatest monster of these wild lands, drew his last breath.

* * *

_These women clearly belong to the Jotun tribe_ , EMIYA concluded. They were much larger than an average human, probably even surpassed Odin and other members of Aesir. _There's something wrong with the gravity here? Like in the age of the dinosaurs, so they could grow larger than animals in my time?_

"You're not welcome here," all the Norns said in one voice. "Begone."

"I will." The Counter Guardian smiled. "But first you need to unravel the threads of TOHSAKA and Siegfried Sigmundsson."

"They both will die if we do it," Skuld explained, clearly not moved by the obvious threat in his voice.

"You're bluffing."

"Try me." The Norn of future events gave the bowman a very annoying smile.

EMIYA sighed. He prepared a missile, a highly overpowered version of his usual Caladbolg, and turned around. Surprisingly, he targeted not the sisters, but Yggdrasil.

"Ladies, please do as I ask, or I will be forced to blow away your sacred tree."

"You're bluffing."

"Try me."

Skuld wanted to make another sarcastic comment, but she quickly lost her typical composure.

Because this time the red bowman wasn't smiling.

"You won't dare! If you shoot the tree, all nine worlds will collapse!"

"Keep your arguments for someone, who makes decisions. Unfortunately, I'm only a pawn in this game. And I really don't care what will happen to your worlds."

The lack of emotions in his voice shook the sisters. Although reluctantly, Verdandi was first to let go. She slowly untied the threads.

The red string just dispelled in the air, leaving no trace behind, like it never existed, while the silver one slipped out of Verdandi's hand. No matter how many times the old Norn tried, she couldn't grasp it again.

"Tch." Skuld did not even try to hide her disappointment. "It's useless. He's far beyond our reach now. He doesn't belong to us anymore."

"Poor thing." The Norn of past events wept their loss. "He was soooo adorable as a child…"

EMIYA exhaled slowly and dispelled his weapon.

"My job here is done. No offence, but I hope that we'll never meet again, ladies."

The last look they gave him before dematerialization – full of disgust or even not well hidden hatred – confirmed his conviction, that it was a mutual antipathy.

* * *

"Why am I doing this? Disgusting…"

Dragon's blood was still warm and emitted an awful, metallic smell. Siegfried shivered at the thought of immersing into this filthy substance.

"Odin pierced himself with his own spear and kept hanging on the tree for nine days to learn magic, so I can do at least this much now, right?"

Siegfried has already drunk some blood by accident and it was not a nice experience. Also the heart of Fafnir rested safely in his bundles, waiting to be eaten, just like the dying dragon advised.

"Yeah, later." Siegfried swallowed, not very happy about this idea. It would probably be a dinner from his worst nightmares.

He exhaled slowly, trying not to vomit, and dived into the pool. Surprisingly, the wounds on his back healed in an instant. Fatigue and pain, even in his circuits, were also gone. But, through those wounds, more blood of Fafnir entered his body, making him feel… strange. Fortunately, no drastic changes were visible yet, except a little blue crest, which has appeared suddenly on his chest.

"So… what now?"

He was a kind of a person, who usually concentrates all his efforts, body, heart and mind, on a single task at once. First was to survive, then to forge the blade, kill the dragon and now the time has come to think about his future.

Not so long ago he was obsessed with an idea of reclaiming the kingdom of his father. He needed an army and many allies to achieve this goal and the dragon's gold would be perfect to get them.

Thanks to Rin, he didn't care anymore. He realized that this is the wish of his mother, not his own. He didn't want to start a war, spread the curse of the ring, bring death upon many innocent people. He didn't want allies, whose help must be paid, because there's always someone, who would pay more.

So what is his true desire?

"To travel and learn new things with Rin by my side," he answered his own question without hesitation, then closed his eyes, worried.

_That wish will never come true, won't it?_

Well, even if a miracle would happen, somehow, someday… after obtaining such power, could he just turn away and ignore other people and their problems? Of course not. It was his duty to help the weaker and to strike evil without mercy. But, as he promised Rin, he will act according to his own judgment. Only when he believes, that this is the right thing to do.

He took a deep breath, ready to end this utterly unpleasant bath, but something tickled his back. He reached out his hand to check it…

"A leaf of a linden tree? It would be stupid to have a heart-shaped mark on my back."

And, although without visible enthusiasm, he dived back in the pool of blood to the top of his head, leaving no single spot on his skin unaffected by the dragon's magic.

* * *

"You've made it." Rin gave Siegfried a beautiful smile and joined him. They were standing up to the waist in the waters of Rhein.

The view was magnificent. The water, in the deepest possible shade of blue, was flowing slowly but steady, full of life and the energy of the land. No wild rivers have survived to Tohsaka's times in such state – they were all tamed, polluted and robbed of their magic.

"Yes, I still can't believe it. What's wrong, Rin? You look pale."

"Well, observing your fight and being unable to help you was not a nice experience, believe me." She sighed. "It was horrible, actually. Don't do this again."

"I'm sorry." Siegfried chuckled and kissed her. "I have no desire to do something like this again, trust me. Wait… can you hear it? The river sings."

Tohsaka focused on the surroundings, but couldn't hear anything unusual.

"Nope. It seems that you really are the Child of Nature."

Surprisingly, Siegfried has lost his enthusiasm.

"Maybe it's just like the dragon said and I'm no longer human?"

"Maybe." Rin tried really hard to not spoil this moment with forebodings. "So, what the river says?"

"The Daughters of Rhein want this ring." He tossed the cursed jewelry in his hand. "They knew that I've already decided to give it back, so they're just grateful, saying: 'Thank you!', blessing us both, you know, usual things."

"Don't make them praise you for too long," she laughed. "Women don't like cocky guys."

"I'll remember that. So… together?" Rin nodded and they joined hands to threw the cursed ring away. "Three, two, one aaaaand… it's over!"

It drowned quickly with a quiet splash. On the surface nothing extraordinary has happened, but Tohsaka could feel a tiny change in the structure of this reality. It seemed like there was more light than shadow right now.

"Your story has just begun," she said and froze, feeling that her body is shattering to pieces, quickly losing connection with this world.

"Rin?" Siegfried's eyes widened in shock, when he realized, what's happening. He embraced Tohsaka, as if it could stop her from disappearing. "Oh no, not now… Not yet!"

She clenched her fists in frustration, unable to stop this process. There was so much to say, but she couldn't choose the right words. It was so unexpected, too fast! After a few seconds, she was only a cloud of condensed red energy.

"Remember about the promise, Siegfried!"

"Will we ever meet again?"

"If this does not happen, then the World is worth nothing."

* * *

He wanted to scream, but no sound came out of his throat. Nothing. He had no memory of coming back to the shore, but he found himself on his knees, staring blankly at the footprints in the mud. Even the wild scream from behind the trees couldn't bring Siegfried back to reality.

"How could you?! What have you done with MY RING and MY GOLD, you ungrateful brat?!"

Regin grabbed Balmung and charged forward without a second thought. The sword, which has already killed a dragon, can kill another one easily. It was a dangerous tool, even in an untrained hands.

It was a mindless fury, powered by a pure hatred. And Siegfried did not react in any way, too sad to defend himself. Regin was about to strike and cut off the head of his former pupil, but it was his own head that literally exploded, hit by a battle hammer.

"What's wrong with you, boy?" Thrud pulled out her weapon from the crushed skull of the dwarf and wiped out the blood, using Regin's clothes. "After killing our great Fafnir, you let yourself be defeated by a hideous dwarf?"

"Thrud is right, Child of Nature." Mist too was observing everything from hiding. Now she walked up to Siegfried and gently caressed his face. "You can't give up so easily. There is a chance for you to meet again, just like she said. A tiny chance, but it's not impossible. You must keep trying. And remember about your promise."

Siegfried needed a moment to fully understand her words. After a while, he nodded and stood up. There was something heavy in his moves, like he was at least ten years older than a minute before.

"Thank you for help. Is there something I can do to repay you?"

"Actually, there is something…" Thrud started explaining, but Mist stopped her.

"Let him be for now." She shook her head. "Trust me. It will be fine."

Both valkyries went away, leaving Siegfried alone, more than he has ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE: This is NOT the end of the story. Rin, Siegfried and the others will appear in future chapters (not many chapters left, but enough, I suppose), as well as some new characters (including my favourite one - I hope that You will like her too.)
> 
> Thank You for reading this far and for Your constant support! You're simply the best.
> 
> PS. Comments appreciated. ;)


	9. I Will Deserve a Miracle

_"_ _The music is good for the soul... and takes one home again."_

_"_ _I have no home."_

_"_ _It depends what you call 'a home'. A place? People? Even a memory is enough."  
_

* * *

"Lord? You're a great warrior, right? Please, kill those wyverns for us."

The lonely rider on a fine grey battle horse was visibly surprised, that someone has noticed and approached him. He was just passing by, ignoring the villagers, who were working in full sun. Lost in his thoughts, he was barely aware of the presence of people on the ground and wyverns on the sky. He looked at the man, then at the mountain in the distance, where the reptiles nested, and again at the man's face. The peasant's gaze was full of hope and determination.

"Tell me, are these wyverns a threat for you or your village?"

"Of course they are, lord! They're flying here all day, like the sky belongs to them!"

Siegfried raised one eyebrow, clearly not convinced.

"Oh? Have they ever attacked your houses, killed your animals or children? Or maybe they've took your supplies?"

The man looked at him from below, confused.

"N-no…" He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "But all dragonkin should be killed, right? They're dangerous. They're evil! They're natural enemies of humans!"

"I see." Siegfried gave Grani a signal to move and headed straight to the mountain.

"Lord? Are you going to kill them?" A wide smile brightened villager's face. "Thank you, lord! I will tell everyone!"

But Siegfried ignored him completely, focused on the path before him and on the task, that awaits him on its end.

It was a long way up, but Grani did not complain. The wind was nice up there, and high rocks gave a pleasant shade, so it was a much better than on the fields, burned by the summer sun. Although well aware of the presence of wyverns, the horse showed no anxiety, completely trusting his master.

The whole family of flying reptiles gathered around the path, hissing and trying to look much more terrifying than they really are. The truth was simple, though. The wyverns were frightened and defenseless on the ground. They were desperately trying to protect their nests and younglings.

Siegfried get off the horse. He looked around, checking the path, which was leading up to the mountain peak. Finally he found the perfect place, where the way was narrow and steep, and drew his sword.

"Fill!" – he commanded, activating the crystal and gathering energy for the spell. When the blue light inside the jewel became blinding, Siegfried hit the ground with his blade. The power of the blow, along with the magic released at the same moment, destroyed the path, making the passage impossible for creatures without wings.

Siegfried smiled and turned away to leave the mountain, but a large green wyvern landed right before him, sniffing and making a long, vibrating sounds deep from the throat. He tilted his head and walked up slowly to the reptile, somehow sure, that the creature won't attack him.

The wyvern, although it was shaking, ready to escape, came closer, lowering its head. Siegfried touched the scales and noticed, that they're much more delicate than the ones of a dragon. They were soft and smelled like acid mixed with a warm sand.

"Don't be afraid, you'll be safe here, no one will be able to come and destroy your nests. But remember to avoid the village. They will kill you down there."

The beast made another vibrating sound and flew away.

"Yes, you're right." Siegfried, who – after consuming Fafnir's heart and blood - could understand 'the language' of almost every animal living on these lands, smiled, watching the magnificent creature in flight. "The sky belongs to everyone equally."

Then he looked down at the village and sighed painfully, expecting, what awaits him there. The peasants won't be happy, seeing wyverns alive and safe, but he had no intention to kill those innocent creatures just because someone demands their death.

What's even worse, he felt connected to the reptiles and other wild creatures much more than to corrupted, greedy humans.

* * *

"I know this river," Tohsaka said, watching a ribbon of crimson, which seemed to be burning under the night sky.

It was Rhein, now polluted and red with blood. A fierce battle was fought on its shore, with tanks, golems and forbidden magic in use. The surroundings reminded Rin of a landscape from the twentieth century, around the time of World War II, but there were definitely too many aggressive mages around.

They were fighting over something hidden deep beneath the mountain, where the great Fafnir once resided, guarding the gold. It seemed, that a huge power generator, similar to the wish-granting Greater Grail, was the cause of their conflict.

"What an enormous energy!" EMIYA was standing next to Rin, also amazed by the vibrations coming from the mountain. "It's like the core of the earth... Or at least something equally primordial. I doubt if it can be destroyed."

"That's why we're here not to destroy it, but to defend it. Whatever it is, if it falls into the wrong hands…"

She didn't have to end this thought, they both had enough imagination to visualize a possible destruction.

"So, let's clean this mess. Shall we?" EMIYA projected his bow. "Cover me, Rin."

"Don't worry." A replica of Balmung appeared in her hands. "Even a single mouse won't slip through."

First golems shattered to pieces, hit by the wave of blue energy from her powerful strike. The mindless constructs kept coming in waves and dying in waves, literally swept from the surface of the earth. And from the centre of this defensive ring a single bowman kept shooting one missile after another, unleashing hell, killing both sides of the conflict equally.

"That was quick." Tohsaka leaned on her sword, watching the battlefield. No one left alive, as usual. "We should work together more often."

"It seems that we've always been perfectly matched to cause destruction." He winked, trying to hide his true feelings. "But, honestly, you didn't have to join me in this endless cleaning service just to have fun together."

"I... owe you. Too much to ever repaid this debt. That's why I'm here."

He fell silent for a long while, thinking, trying to understand her reasons.

"There's no debt, Rin. And will never be." EMIYA gave Tohsaka his typical thin smile. "You're such a pain, really. I'm not sure if even want to know, from what horrible timeline you've come. I'm angry, that you've ended as the one of us. But, on the other hand, I'm glad you're here, so we can work together sometimes." He sighed. "It sounds egoistic, isn't it?"

"Not at all. It's just… human."

The red guardian frowned, amazed.

"You've wised up? I'm truly shocked."

"Shut up."

Their job was over and they were about to vanish at any moment, but a strange vibration from under the mountain still troubled Tohsaka. This energy was disturbingly familiar.

_Could it be…?_

But there was no way to check it. She could only helplessly shook her head, when the World sucked her back from this reality.

* * *

It was just like he suspected.

"What have you done, you filthy vagabond?! Now we'll never get rid of those pest!"

The peasants seemed not brave enough to meet Siegfried face to face, but they were throwing stones at him from a safe distance. He ignored them with a silent dignity and slowly left the village.

"I can't believe you let them insult you like this." The giant black wolf flew down from the sky with Thrud on its back. "A little demonstration of strength from time to time won't kill you, Sieggyyyy."

"It's not worth it, believe me." He sighed and greeted Mist, who's joined them, riding her white mare. "I thought that you're busy with the war in Burgundy?"

"It was no more than a little, boring quarrel." Thrud rolled her eyes. Her furry companion sniffed Siegfried, walking so close to his horse, that both animals were touching each other. Fearless Grani got used to the presence of a predator; it was not the first time they're traveled like this, forming a very unusual trio.

"You used your circuits or got excited again?" Mist stared at Siegfried's chest, where the dragon crest was glowing. The light was so strong, that it was visible even through his shirt. "It's spreading, you know? You have it on your face already. When it reaches your brain, you'll probably change into a dragon."

"I know." He shrugged. "But I cannot stop it, I've tried."

"I guess I can help you." Mist's smiling gaze was so cheerful and bright, that Siegfried could only smile back at her. It was a faint, hesitant smile, but still better than his typical sad expression. "But first we must find a forge and use some of your old skills."

"I hope they're not got rusted already, huh?" Thrud poked him in the shoulder, strong as usual, almost making him fall off the horse.

"Don't worry, it will be fine. I miss working with metal."

"And I miss good beer."

Siegfried chuckled quietly.

"We can have both."

"Be careful, I'm starting to like you!"

_Well, at least someone likes me_ , he thought, looking over his shoulder at the distant village.

It was complicated, but, by following his last promise to Rin, he's already made many enemies and gained only a few friends. Doing only the right things no matter what, he wasn't useful enough to people, to be called a hero. Moreover, because he returned the gold where it belongs, no one really knew that he had killed an evil dragon. Right now he wasn't a famous dragon slayer, but a nameless wanderer.

And, to be honest, he liked it this way. He could travel freely through the foreign lands, searching for clues and possibilities to summon Rin back. He's met many mages and gathered a lot of materials, truly obsessed with this single desire, but still unable to put his great plan into effect.

"You're not a mage, deal with it, Siegfried," Mist said suddenly, as if she was reading his thoughts.

"But you are."

"No, I'm only a _seiðr_ practitioner. A sorcerer specialized in divination. But most of all, I'm just a musician."

"An excellent one," Siegfried added honestly.

"Thank you." Mist smiled. "Anyway, you've learned already, that no one has enough power to summon a pure Heroic Spirit, not a Servant. It's considered to be a miraculous occurrence. And, for a Servant, you will need a power generator, a wish-granting system and stuff, so…"

Siegfried only shook his head, stubborn beyond hope.

"If summoning her back is a miracle, I will deserve one."

"Calm down." Thrud lightly punched him in the head from behind. "Or your crest will explode."

"Sorry."

Mist fell silent, worried. She has looked into his future, many times, but had no heart to tell him, what she saw.

It was the one and only wish he has ever had. Telling him, that it will never be granted, is just too cruel, isn't it?

* * *

'What the…?! You're not Siegfried!' - it was the first thing Tohsaka usually heard after being accidentally summoned as a Saber for the Holy Grail War. Then 'Who the hell are you?!' followed. Fortunately, a probability of summoning her was incredibly low, although it had already happened twice, in some crazy, forgotten timelines.

This time was different. Even after the first impulse for materialization, she noticed, that something is wrong. This Grail was not really a Grail, but a fake, powerful enough to imitate the whole system, launched for a single Servant. All the details – class container, Command Spells and others – seemed to be somehow incomplete, like a draft. Yet still someone was powerful or clever enough to make it work, even if only for a while.

Rin found herself within the summoning circle, in a large room, or rather a throne room. The palace resembled the hall of king Alv, but was larger and truly splendid. She could feel a familiar ley lines and the true ether in the air. Still dizzy after this unexpected summoning, she stood up and looked at her new Master.

It was a woman dressed in a rich robe, decorated with gold and amber, and beautiful wolf furs. She looked familiar, proud and strong, and something in her gaze immediately reminded Tohsaka of Siegfried, but the eyes of the woman were purple. She had a tiny dragon horns, barely visible in her long silver hair, and… a dragon magic circuits. Rin sighed internally, terrified – and jealous - of her magical potential.

There was something more - her crown, a simple golden ring with a big crystal on the woman's forehead.

Rin swallowed. It was the jewel from Balmung's hilt, she was sure of that.

"So you're the one, huh?" The strange magus looked disappointed. Her voice, deep and low, made Tohsaka shiver. "The woman whose shadow hung between my parents like an invisible veil?"

Rin was about to answer, but someone interrupted their little conversation. Suddenly a boy, no more than seven years old, entered the room. He was apparently eavesdropping behind the door, but didn't look ashamed at all.

"Mom? Who is this lady?"

Tohsaka blinked. This child was like a miniature Siegfried, but had a strange mark in the left eye.

_A snake eating his own tail... Ouroboros?_ _What kind of an insane dream is this?_

"It's not a dream." The woman had read Rin's thoughts and smiled viciously. "Welcome to Norway, Miss Tohsaka, to the kingdom of Ragnar _Lothbrok_. I am queen Aslaug, daughter of Siegfried The Dragon Slayer. And this is my youngest son, Siegfried Snake-in-the-Eye."

Rin's legs gave up, unable to hold her weight anymore. She almost fell on the floor, shocked.

"Oh…"

"Oh? Really? I expected much more from you. Father was fixated on you, so you must be worth more than just 'Oh', am I right?"

"Was?" – Tohsaka groaned, noticing past tense. People of this era usually die young, she knew it, but Siegfried was invincible, right?

_What's happened in this timeline?_

The pain in Rin's voice was honest, Aslaug could be sure of that. Surprisingly, she found herself pleased by the reaction of Tohsaka. It was a proof, that all the efforts to summon her were not in vain. The face of the queen softened in an instant.

"Well, it's complicated. Come with me. I'll show you."

* * *

"Sorry, I did not want to disturb you."

Mist, who was sitting on the grass on the edge of the road, playing harp and enjoying the warm night's breeze, smiled to Siegfried. He was swaying a little, although he tried hard not to be noticed.

"It's fine, it was only a warm-up of fingers. Where's Thrud?"

"In the inn, sleeping on a bench. I couldn't wake her up and carrying her to bed is beyond my strength, sorry. She's a heavy drinker." Siegfried shook his head; he looked tired, but not strongly affected by the huge amount of beer that Thrud had poured into him. She has challenged him to a drinking contest again, unable to accept her last defeat. "But it seems that dragons are less sensitive to alcohol than valkyries."

Mist laughed, imagining the face of Thrud, when she'll wake up in the morning with a terrible hangover.

"She'll be fine. But I can see that something's troubling you… It's the collar?"

"No, it's fine, thank you for help." Siegfried rubbed his collar-like necklace, forged and enchanted today to prevent dragon crest from spreading through his body. It needed to be reloaded with the energy from the earth from time to time, but worked perfectly for now. "It's just… this melody you've played. I think I've heard it before, long ago." He sat next to the valkyrie, visibly worried. "It reminds me of a song… from a long forgotten dream. And I've heard it again yesterday. It came with the northern wind."

"So that's why you're heading North this time?"

"Yeah. I feel that something is calling me there."

"Your destiny?"

"Who knows." He shrugged, staring at the stars.

"My, it's painful to even look at you, Siegfried." A deep longing in his gaze saddened Mist. "I'll sing something for you. The music is good for the soul... and takes one home again."

"I have no home."

"It depends what you call 'a home'. A place? People? Even a memory is enough."

After a short moment of hesitation, Siegfried agreed. He needed some peace and everything, that could get him closer to Rin, was priceless.

Mist, happy that she can help him somehow, prepared the harp and started singing.

_In my long forgotten cloistered sleep_

_someone kissed me, whispering words of love._

_Is it just a longing of my heart?_

_Such a moment of such peace…_

_Where do all the tears come from?_

_With no memories, why should I cry?_

_I can never rest my soul_

_until you call my name,_

_call my soul, from the heart._

Siegfried was listening carefully with his eyes closed. After a moment of heavy silence, he asked quietly:

"How do you know this song?"

"From my beloved sister, Brynhildr," the blonde valkyrie answered with affection. "You've met her once. She's the one with the spear, from that night of the fire ritual."

"I remember." Siegfried nodded. "I was wondering, what's happened to her."

Mist explained everything, paying close attention to his reaction. There was something in his cold blue eyes, a strange stubbornness, as if he had just made an important decision.

"You want to help Brynhildr?" – it was more a statement than a question.

"Of course. Why didn't you ask me for it sooner?"

"I wanted to, believe me." Mist gave him a sad smile. "Actually, that was the reason why we have saved you from Regin. But later, when we started to travel together and became friends, I just couldn't. Because I didn't like the idea of manipulating you. Too many people have tried to control you already and this is not how friends should act."

"Mist…" Siegfried stared at her like a sweet, devoted puppy and grasped her hand. "I'm really glad to have such a wonderful friend. And you may ask me for help how much you want."

"Well, if you insist…" She chuckled, mostly to hide her embarrassment.

"Sieeeeegggyyyy!" Thrud scrambled out of the inn and joined them, wasted but still alive. A bear after its winter sleep couldn't be louder and more clumsy.

"What's wrong?"

"How could you leave me there, alone and defenseless?"

"Sorry, Thrud. But, honestly… you're everything but defenseless, you know?"

"Sieggyyyyy, so cruel!" She clung to Siegfried and he quickly found out that the comparison with the bear – a drunk bear! - was appropriate. He could not catch a breath in her ridiculously strong arms.

"Get off me, you're breaking my ribs."

"You're overreacting! Tickle, tickle, tickle!" She was taking her revenge on the winner, tormenting him without mercy. "I tickled a dra-gon, I tickled a dra-gon!"

"Stop it, I can't breathe!"

Mist chuckled again, watching their friendly fight. She stood up slowly and looked up. There was a small green aurora on the northern part of the sky and the wind indeed carried a strange song, inviting them to come.

Their destiny awaited there and they were ready to face it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again - the song used in the story is "My Forgotten Cloistered Sleep" by Yuki Kajiura.
> 
> Thank You for reading.


	10. A Dragon's Wisdom and the Potion of Betrayal

_"_ _Because you've brought me back to life, it belongs to you now. May I ask, what you intend to do with it?"  
_

* * *

"Good morning, my rebellious ladies!"

Thrud jumped up from the ground, with a battle hammer in hand. Mist reacted more calmly, but also was ready to face the intruder, who invaded their camp in the mountains.

"Calm down, you're not going to crush the head of an innocent messenger, are you?" It was Loki and he did not even try to hide his true form. "I brought a gift for you, from Freya! She personally mixed the components and seasoned them to taste with a lot of love, straight from her heart. Sweet, isn't it?"

The god of mischief showed them a tiny bottle. The fluid inside was brown and strangely dense.

"A magical potion from Freya?" Mist frowned, already suspecting something. "You've stolen it?"

"Of course not! Why would I?"

"Exactly, why?" Thrud kept her hammer ready, visibly not intimidated by his divine aura. "What do you want us to do with this… thing?"

"How sweet that you ask!" Loki ignored her rude behavior, it looked like nothing could ruin his perfect mood today. "This 'thing' is a blessing, the ultimate cure for all your problems." He rubbed his chin, thinking. "Well, it sounded good, but it's not exactly the truth. It will solve not your problems, but actually the greatest worry of your sister Brynhildr and of the guy over there." He glanced at Siegfried, who was sleeping nearby, probably unaware of his presence.

"How?"

"Simply. It's a charm spell, a special kind of it. If our little blacksmith drinks the potion, he will immediately forget about that woman in red and won't be able to resist the charm of your sister." Loki smiled. "After all, Freya is the goddess of lust. Of course, love may follow, who knows…"

"Why are you involved?"

"Because it's fun." His wide smile was somehow distressing. "They're so young and beautiful, it would be nice to watch them together. So…".

He breathed out pure magic with the exhaled air, making the bottle flew down from his hand and levitate all the way to Mist. She carefully grasped the potion, which stopped in the air right before her eyes.

"How sweet… " Loki changed into a jay again and spread his wings. "Have fun! I'm looking forward to see the show!"

And he left them with a tiny bottle in hands and with a much greater dilemma to consider.

"I'm not fine with betraying him like this," Mist said after a long while of extremely heavy, depressing silence.

"But?" Thrud knew the blonde too well to not notice a hesitation in her voice.

"But it sounds good, right?" Mist sighed. "Siegfried is still trying to summon that woman and he keeps destroying himself. His body won't make it much longer and his soul suffers. Brynhildr aside, it may be our only chance to help him."

"But this is his only wish and we are his only friends. Are you all right with taking everything away from him?"

"He won't need this wish anymore, he'll get much better one granted."

Thrud was thinking for a moment, but then she just shook her head, unconvinced.

"It won't be his wish anymore." It was surprising to hear something so wise from the daughter of Thor. "A betrayal is still a betrayal, no matter the intentions or outcome."

It was a simple, indisputable truth, Mist couldn't deny it.

But is it truly a betrayal, if it could make them both happy?

* * *

"Aslaug! Look who's back!" – her mother said, opening the gate to their little garden.

"Daddy!"

She abandoned the flowers and toys and rushed to the tall man, who has just returned from another strange quest.

"There you are, my little princess." Siegfried gave the girl a long, warm hug. "Mother said that you don't want to play with the children in town. Is that truth?"

"I don't like them. They call me a witch, because I have horns and do tricks."

"You're not a witch, Sweetheart." He picked the girl up. She looked proud and happy, watching the world from above, safe in her father's arms. "You're a mage. There's nothing wrong in using magic, unless you'll start throwing spells at people in anger, changing them into toads or something. It would be extremely rude… for the toads." He winked. "And you really call these little cute outgrowths 'horns'?"

Aslaug touched her tiny horns, then looked at Siegfried, at the two pairs of fully grown dragon horns on his head, and admitted her defeat.

"May I touch them?"

"Yes," he agreed, despite the fact, that he hated when someone touches the parts of his body, that aren't truly his. "But no pulling or anything weird, like the last time!"

"I promise, Daddy. Sorry."

The scales were soft, much warmer than the rest of his skin. Aslaug did not find them weird or ugly. They were just a part of one of the two most important persons in her life.

"Cute!"

Siegfried chuckled.

"Not really, but thank you anyway, Sweetie."

Then they sat on the grass and she made some terrible things with his hair, like tangling it into braids or decorating it with the wreaths of flowers, which were really hard to remove later. Siegfried endured all their crazy ideas with a warm smile. He never complained, never let her feel that she's troublesome.

Mother told her later, that he was not always so composed. There were times before her birth, when Siegfried used to return home covered in blood of his enemies from head to toe, with a frightening gaze, not even bothering to pretend that he's fine. Having the little girl around helped him to calm down and forced to take care of himself.

That was not so long ago, but it seemed like eternity to her. She had her own children now, but still _cherished_ the _memories_ of the time they spent together _._

Aslaug, now the powerful magus and the queen of Norway, closed her eyes and concentrated.

_I know you can hear me… You were right from the beginning. Thanks to all your notes and magical knowledge you've passed on me, I was able to grant your wish. She's here. Why haven't you waited just a little bit longer?_

* * *

This dream was so realistic… it was like visiting another reality rather than sleeping.

"In my era people don't believe in dragons anymore." Tohsaka, wrapped in furs, was sitting on the floor near the fireplace. The cold wind tried to break in to the cottage, but there was still warm and safe inside, despite the snow-flurry raging outside. "All the legends, including yours, are for us nothing more than a literature, a fiction. And a dragon in this kind of story is usually seen as a symbol, not a real creature, which existed long ago."

"A symbol of what?" Siegfried was listening attentively, but it didn't stop him from playing with Rin's hair. He just couldn't resist.

"It depends, but the most common interpretation of a dragon is 'a guardian'. Like Fafnir, lying on the gold, or many dragons from the Greek lore. It's also seen as the ultimate enemy, the most spectacular victory a hero could achieve. Well, mostly both meanings works at once, and this is an easy recognizable trope in the Western culture. Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Of course."

"Don't lie and stop tickling my neck."

"I'm not tickling, I'm conquering it, Rin." He stopped talking for a moment, and Tohsaka shivered, feeling that his lips joined his fingers in caressing her skin. "And I've never lied to you, not even once."

"Fine. But, hey… I thought that there's nothing more for you to conquer." She closed her eyes, letting him do as he pleases. "Am I not yours already?"

"Well then, let's just say that I'm marking my territory."

Her laugh, so pure and beautiful, was still ringing in Siegfried's head, when he woke up. He forcibly closed his eyes even harder, trying to make this dream last longer. His yearning for Rin was overwhelming.

_Why am I remembering it now?_

There must be a reason, Siegfried was sure of it. After eating the heart of Fafnir he has learnt that nothing in this world happens by accident.

'Eat my heart and obtain my wisdom' – the dying beast said, but did not warn him, what kind of wisdom it is.

Siegfried gained not only the ability to communicate with all the living creatures and deep connection to the local ley lines, but also a sharpened perception – right now he was aware of the presence of every single bug in the grass and even some earthworms underground. It made his head hurt and he still couldn't truly get used to it; human's brain is just not ready to analyze so much data at once.

But the true meaning of this wisdom was hidden elsewhere, between the realm of dreams and consciousness, where time and space have no real meaning and different realities cross their paths. Siegfried couldn't say that he's able to predict the future events – no, it was something else. A strange feeling, that he's on the crossroads, every time when something important is about to happen.

He could see – or rather feel - both possible endings of such choice, but had no idea which decision would lead to which outcome. A truly useless ability, to be honest. It made him anxious and sometimes even frustrated, reminding him, how little a man's will means in this world, with one's destiny already decided elsewhere, beyond one's reach.

Siegfried stood up slowly and touched his glowing chest. His heart was beating fast but steadily and it seemed more powerful than before. Much more powerful than a heart of a human.

_Have I already changed this much?_ A sad smile appeared on his face. _A guardian, huh? Just like the old reptile said. So… this is inevitable, no matter what I'll do? And I will never…?_

"What's wrong, Sieggy? You're pale." Thrud gave him a friendly pat on the back and Siegfried suspected, that, without the magical protection of his skin, he would have ended with some broken ribs right now. "You look not like after a short nap but rather like you've just come back from a travel to another dimension."

"Well, kind of." He coughed, his throat was extremely dry. Again his body was burning from the inside. Long ago his magic circuits started to act against his will and tried to change him into something really weird.

_Hot. It happens every time I use my abilities, so…_

It was a vicious circle, truly. He needs to use the energy from the earth to recharge his collar and stop the crest from spreading through his body, but the same energy keeps destroying this body and makes the crest even more active.

"Here, a fresh mead." Mist walked up to him with a cup in her hand. "It will help you recover."

"Thanks." Siegfried gladly accepted the drink, ignoring an obvious tension in the air and the fact that both valkyries lowered their heads to avoid his gaze.

"No, I can't!" Mist suddenly knocked the cup from his hand, before it could reach his mouth. The mead, mixed with the potion from Loki, sank into the ground. "It's just wrong."

Siegfried only smiled kindly, not really surprised.

"Thank you," he said and both maidens froze, realizing something.

"You knew about the spell in this drink! You knew that we're going to betray you! Then… why you've just accepted it without a word?"

"Because I trust you." He shrugged. "I trust that my friends want the best for me. So, if you decided to give me this potion, I can only accept it with gratitude."

Thrud blinked several times, not really sure what to think about it. Mist only sighed.

"You're hopeless, Siegfried. A truly hopeless idiot, that's who you are."

"I know. Sorry."

"No, don't you ever dare to apologize for being so… amazing." She pointed a finger at him in a silent threat, but then she just hugged him. "Forgive me."

"There's no need to forgive you, but if you insist…"

"It is, we've almost robbed you from your dearest memories and your wish."

"Don't worry, Mist." Siegfried slowly shook his head, still smiling. "You did nothing wrong, right?"

Deep inside he knew, that no spell or potion is strong enough to make him forget about Rin Tohsaka.

* * *

"To make things clear – you're aware of the fact, that it is a fake summoning and you may disappear at any moment? Only the remnants of the true ether in the air are keeping you materialized."

So this was it… The Age of Gods was about to end soon. With the modern magecraft on the doorstep, Aslaug was able to use many tricks, mix them and make even some little miracles, like imitating the Grail's summoning. No doubt that it was Siegfried, who had taught his daughter about the ritual and future magic, making her truly powerful, maybe the most powerful witch of her times.

Actually, Rin was her teacher in some twisted way. Siegfried only passed all the knowledge and magic, which he'd learnt from Tohsaka, but wasn't able to use, on his daughter. But Rin was the true source of her power.

"I will tell you what I have to tell you and then we will decide what to do with your remaining time here." Aslaug sounded like a queen, no discussion was possible. "Any questions?"

"Many." Tohsaka really did not know where to start. "You needed a powerful generator to summon me, right?"

"I have one. But let's leave such details for later. Now follow me."

Rin frowned but obeyed. It seemed, that the true secret of this castle was hidden deeper underground. There was a narrow passage, leading down and down, to a huge cave in the cliff, so close to the sea, that a sound of waves could be heard from the other side of its stone walls. It was a surprisingly long road into the heart of the mountain.

"In legends they sometimes call you Kráka, right?" – Tohsaka asked, bored by this unending walk. "You're the same person?"

"Ah, yes." Aslaug smiled. "When the war started, mother decided to left me under the care of her old friend, Heimer. There was no safe place in our homeland anymore, so he took me to Norway. Because of my heritage and these ridiculous horns, he made a hideout for me inside his harp. But you know the story, right?"

Rin nodded. A couple of peasants murdered Heimer at night, thinking that there's a treasure hidden within the harp. But they found only a girl, so beautiful, that they took her for a princess. They adopted the girl and kept spreading the soot on her skin, to hide her from prying eyes and keep away from troubles. Black like a crow, she received the name Kráka after this dark, but extremely intelligent bird. Tohsaka was almost sure, that Aslaug rather had used some charm spells on the villagers to survive.

_Well, legends are often misinterpreted..._

"So the war started anyway, even without this cursed gold?" – Rin asked again, really curious. Her voice echoed through the tunnel, much louder than a sound of distant waves. "And Siegfried decided to fight? I thought that he didn't want to interfere…"

"No, father had no desire to be a king or even a commander, really. But he couldn't ignore the troops of king Lygni, the murderer of my grandfather Sigmund, killing his folk and conquering one kingdom after another. He was already affected by the blood of Fafnir more than you can imagine, so he avoided people and it was a really hard decision for him, to show himself to the public." She gently caressed the crystal from Balmung's hilt, remembering the details. "He said, that a monster like him shouldn't rule or even lead anyone. That's why my parents planned only to end the war quickly, then take me back and hide in the woods. But some… unexpected things happened. Many years have passed before we found each other at last. Too many…" Aslaug stopped and turned around to look Rin in the eyes, piercing her with this amazing, glowing purple. "Fate can be really cruel, but you know it already. Right, Miss Tohsaka?"

Rin could only nod, wondering, what's the true reason behind this conversation. Minutes were passing by in silence, with Aslaug dealing with her past. The queen was trying to organize her thoughts and feelings.

"As a child, I hated you, because father has never forgotten about you," she spoke at last. An echo of distant emotions still sounded in her voice. "But later I understood that my mother was happy anyway. Father really loved you the most, but he gave us all his remaining love. Mother just accepted the fact that she's not the only woman in his life and never blamed him. Because he did his best to never hurt or even sadden her."

This sounded like Siegfried, Tohsaka had to admit. She felt sorry for him, but also happy. Because he wasn't alone for the rest of his life.

Aslaug must have read Rin's mind again, because her expression has changed drastically. A strange bond has formed between them just now. It was wonderful, how the fact, that they both cared for the same person, let them get close to each other, ignoring even a barriers of time and space.

They continued walking down the stairs until Aslaug stopped before the strange 'door' to the cave.

"We're here," she said and lit a torch. "Just stay still for a moment and listen."

Tohsaka did what the queen asked. She needed a while to notice a disturbing vibration of the ground, a strange vibe in the air, caused probably by some kind of a magical generator or rather…

"Oh no."

* * *

The flames were not truly a big deal, Grani jumped through them with ease. They were more like a mind-affecting spell than a true fire, raising higher for those, who feared them. For reckless Siegfried and his equally mad horse crossing them was not a real challenge.

But the beautiful sleeping maiden was a completely different matter. Siegfried could only sat on the rock next to her, helpless and out of ideas. Maybe he must kiss her to break the spell, like in a fairy tale he had heard from Rin?

He blushed, embarrassed. It seemed too inappropriate to be true. There must be another way.

And then he finally saw a rune carved on her armor – the source of this sleeping spell, placed there by Odin himself. Somehow sure, that touching it is a bad idea, he drew Balmung and used the tip of its blade to dispel the sign.

_Yep, the runes and I are definitely natural born enemies._

The rune vanished and Brynhildr slowly opened her eyes. They were purple, sad and extremely beautiful.

"Sieg…fried?" - she whispered hesitantly, not truly believing, that her punishment has ended. Numb after a long sleep, she didn't even try to get up, only stared at her unexpected savior.

It was the silver wolf from before, she was sure of that. Still the same, but different, older, wiser, maybe somehow broken. A strange shadow followed him, like a vengeful spirit of a wild beast, a sign of past and future events at once. But Brynhildr was sure, that his heart was pure as always, she just could see it in his gaze.

Siegfried did not know what to say or do, so he just kept staring at the awakened maiden, clearly struck by her unique beauty. He couldn't refrain from comparing the two women, despite the fact, that it made him sad.

Rin was like a firestone, full of her own inner flames. And Brynhildr was like a shard of ice, so cold, that it seems to burn your skin, when you dare to touch it.

"Thank you." Brynhildr was first to break the awkward silence between them. "For saving me from the spell." She reached out her hand to Siegfried and he helped her to sit down. "Because you've brought me back to life, it belongs to you now. May I ask, what you intend to do with it?"

"Well, it's not that… Uh… How to put it…?" He sighed. "I helped you not to make you mine or anyone else's, like a property. Your life is yours alone and only you should decide, what to do with it."

Brynhildr had to admit, that it was a nice and clever way to reject her. She smiled, admiring his good intentions.

"And if I say, that I want to give it to you anyway? Will you let me?"

"I can't, you must know that I'm changing into…"

"I know." Brynhildr did not let him finish. "I've looked into your future, I know what is destined for you."

"And still you want to bind your future with mine?" He raised one eyebrow, clearly not able to understand her motives. "Why?"

"You can say, that this is our 'destiny'." She shook her head, when a better idea came up to her mind. "No, it's rather our 'fate'. But I will call it 'love'. Ah, yes, this is exactly how I see it and how I feel from that day on."

To say, that something troubled Siegfried, would be a great understatement.

"I'm not the one to doubt or criticize, but…" He decided to be absolutely honest, even if it would hurt her feelings. "I'm just afraid, that I will never be able to give you what you truly want, Brynhildr."

"Ah, you know my name! Listen, I'm not asking you for giving me anything." She smiled again, her face suddenly closer to his, her white hands on his shoulder, burning his skin like ice. "Just let me try. Let me stay with you, because I've already have no place to go. There's enough love for the two of us in my heart. And I promise, that I will never leave you."

There was something in her purple eyes, in her quiet voice... so tempting.

No, it's because of her last words, this unexpected promise of never leaving him alone again, something has broken inside him. Although he hasn't even realize it before, it was the deepest desire of his heart.

 


	11. Promises You Can't Keep

_I gladly accept this duty. I accept the terms. I sacrifice everything except this single wish._

_To see her again, even once, even for a while._

* * *

"You're bleeding." Brynhildr exposed Siegfried's back, when she noticed two traces of red on his shirt.

"I know," he answered simply, lost in his thoughts. "They're breaking through."

"It must hurt."

He only shrugged, ignoring the unpleasant sensation caused by the dragon wings growing from his back. It hurt as hell, but there's no need to complain of something you can't change, right?

_What will grow next? Maybe a tail?_

It might look that his collar wasn't working, but Siegfried knew that it's not true. Without it he would probably be changed even more already, both in body and in mind.

Brynhildr prepared a wet cloth to wash the blood away, but the crimson liquid burnt her fingers even through the material. She instinctively tried to lick the wound, but Siegfried grasped her hand and stopped it halfway.

"Careful, better don't do this," he explained with a warm smile. "You don't want to have even a drop of dragon's blood in your body, trust me."

She nodded and wiped her hand, then returned to cleaning his wounds. Siegfried endured this operation bravely as usual.

Brynhildr did not have to ask, she knew that he tried to summon that woman again last night. This is why his body is so damaged today, like many times before. He even managed to actually summon a Servant-like spirit twice, but not the one he intended to.

Brynhild was aware of the fact, that Siegfried is slowly destroying himself, but, honestly, how could she stop him? Yes, she was jealous, a little, but… First: they trusted each other and second: she wanted to see Siegfried truly happy, just once, so she honestly wished him luck with the summoning.

"Are you sure you want to fight in this war?" – he asked suddenly, bringing her back to reality. There was a suggestion to don't go in this seemingly innocent question.

"Of course. I was a valkyrie, remember? War was all I knew." She sighed, thinking of Mist, Thrud and other maidens. "I hope my sisters will be on our side, I don't want to force them to fight us."

"But you don't have to fight anymore."

"You're wrong, my love." Brynhildr shook her head. "It is my right and a duty to fight for my home, to make it a safe place for our daughter."

Siegfried did not argue with her, but a short, worried 'Hmm' was his only answer.

Brynhildr frowned.

"You saw something in my future?" It wasn't really a question.

Siegfried sighed, like it was nothing important, but he sounded extremely serious when he spoke.

"I've told you already, that I can't see facts, only… possibilities. So don't worry."

"I'm not worried, you are."

Brynhildr laughed and Siegfried held his breath, again amazed, how beautiful his wife is, when she's happy.

"We're like Beauty and the Beast, honestly." He gently stroke her cheek, remembering one of the stories he had heard from Rin and passed to Brynhildr and Aslaug later. "But there's no way I will turn into a handsome prince, so you should run while you still can."

"You're so stubborn and mean! First you wanted me to not follow you, now you want me to leave you…" She clung to him, ignoring his silent protest. "So annoying! And you're already freaky handsome, even more with these horns, so please stop complaining."

"I meant…"

"I know. Shut up."

He chuckled but obeyed. Brynhildr was right, they had a job to do, a job for a sword and spear, not for their tongues.

The army of king Lygni was marching forward like a flood, destroying one old lineage of kings after another, burning towns, enslaving the entire nations. There were some rumors, that the true reason behind this campaign is the grudge, which the old tyrant has against queen Hiordis - long ago she had rejected him and chosen much older king Sigmund.

She soon started to regret this decision – because it led to the war. With Sigmund fallen in battle, Hiordis was forced to seek shelter far away, on the court of king Alv. She spent the rest of her life in hiding, successfully until now…

Lygni's path led through the land of Burgundians, so their king, Gunther, decided to form an alliance with Alv and his other neighbors. Their united army soon came out to meet the enemy as soon as possible, to prevent further destruction. And no master of strategy was needed to predict, where the two forces will clash.

Siegfried and Brynhildr were already on their way to join this, probably final, battle. Siegfried heard the story of this strange royal love triangle long ago, as a child, and never blamed his mother for the visible aversion she has to him. He was like a walking reminder of her fall, a living consequence of her wrong choice. It was normal to him to be rejected, until Tohsaka told him that he's wrong.

Anyway, even if it was not completely a family matter, Siegfried's blood boiled at the thought of letting the tyrant – and the murderer of his father - do as he pleases.

* * *

"So, how do you intend to stop an entire army?" The mounted warrior, probably one of the commanders, gave them a skeptical and obviously mocking gaze. He did not seem intimidated by the unusual look of the two. "Just the two of you? No, one and a half, a woman doesn't even count as one."

The first ranks of the enemy army burst out laughing.

"I highly recommend you to apologize to the lady." Siegfried sighed and raised Balmung above his head, preparing his favorite attack. "And, honestly, there's no reason to kill you all, so please do as I asked and retreat."

The enemy soldiers laughed even louder. Siegfried sighed again; he truly did not want to end so many lives at once. Brynhildr gently touched his shoulder, showing some support.

"I'm really sorry." He concentrated. "Fill!"

The blue light gathering within the crystal alarmed the soldiers, who drew their weapons and stepped back. Unfortunately they were ordered to hold their positions. Siegfried's warning must have sounded not serious enough for their commanders.

_How stupid of them._

"Balmung!"

The circle of energy came like a wave and washed away the first ranks. Panic spread throughout the enemy troops, along with the smell of blood and screams of wounded men and horses. Some of them tried to run away, others decided to fight back. But there was something more than destruction caused by this magical blade…

"This is the holy sword, the sword of a fallen king!" – someone shouted and an unexpected excitement raised on the battlefield. "The blade that was broken! The rightful king has returned to save us! It's exactly like in the prophecy!"

"What prophecy?" - Siegfried asked, but Brynhildr only shrugged and got ready to fight.

The enslaved warriors of the Völsung tribe in Lygni's troops initiated the rebellion and attacked the king's loyal forces from behind. The army of Gunther has just arrived and decided that this is the right moment to strike. Soon Brynhild and Siegfried found themselves in the centre of the bloodiest battle known on these lands so far. It was hell.

"Siegfried, look!" – Brynhild, wet with the blood of her enemies, shouted suddenly, truly terrified.

The man with a spear joined the army of king Lygni. He was easy to recognize for someone, who's met him before, the same with his weapon. Gungnir brings victory to the army on which side its owner fights, it's the undeniable truth. Kings Alv and Gunther were doomed…

But Siegfried was not scared at all. Staring at the spear, he tightened his grip on the Balmung's hilt and stepped forward.

"You can't!" Brynhildr tried to stop him with all her might. "It's just like back then with your father, Sigmund. I was there, on the battlefield, I saw the holy sword shattered under the blow of Odin's spear, I saw the king pierced by countless blades of his enemies! Don't let this story repeat itself!"

There were fear, desperation and love in her voice, but this warning had no visible effect on Siegfried. Something in his eyes, this cold blue light, told Brynhildr, that her husband has already decided and nothing will make him change his mind. Right now he seemed truly invincible. Unstoppable.

"I won't end like my father. There's no weapon here, that can kill me. Except this cursed spear."

Suddenly he just knew, what to do. The energy of the land was flowing through him freely… Maybe it was the reason of this sudden enlightenment? Or the dragon's wisdom just showed its true power? He just listened to the voice of Nature, which has finally spoken to its dear child, revealing the truth of the real purpose of his existence.

_I gladly accept this duty. I accept the terms. I sacrifice everything except this single wish._

_To see her again, even once, even for a while._

He needed a true power to end the story, so he grabbed his collar and destroyed it with one swift move.

"Siegfried, don't!" It was Brynhildr, somewhere behind his back, but her voice barely reached him, like it was coming from another dimension. From a distant, meaningless past.

_I'm sorry Brynhildr. But you knew it would end this way, right?_

His circuits started to shine with blue and golden light, gathering the energy for the next blow.

_More, I need more._

The light was truly blinding when the two magnificent weapons clashed. And it was Gungnir, which shattered this time, closing the circle, ending once and for all the story of the curse of the Völsungs.

"It's done." Odin did not look surprised and he clearly did not regret the loss of his spear. "Finally you've proved yourself worthy, Child of Nature. And now you too know, that it had to be done, right?"

Siegfried did not answer, his opinion had no meaning anyway. The wandering god vanished with a thin smile and the situation on the battlefield has changed completely. The army of the tyrant Lygni dispersed, the king himself died, torn apart by his own men. The troops of Xanten and other enslaved lands gathered around Siegfried, some of them rushed to finish off the deserters.

And Siegfried leaned on his sword, trying to not fall on the ground after overusing his circuits again. He was exhausted, but also relieved, because the one thing in this chaos was certain.

The war was finally over.

* * *

Seeing Siegfried victorious, Brynhildr smiled and stepped back to let him enjoy this success for a while. She looked around and something strange in the distance caught her attention.

During their retreat, a group of scouts took advantage of the chaos around and attacked the poorly protected camp. Screams of women and children, traveling with soldiers and, until now, safe behind the front lines, were enough for Brynhildr to take action.

As fast as her mortal body can move, she rushed to their aid without a second thought, killing every assaulter on her way. Simply and deadly effective, she cleaned this mess up relatively quickly.

Not much has left from the camp, there were corpses lying around, destroyed tents and carts, some of them on fire... Brynhildr looked around to find the survivors. She noticed a move under the broken cart - a little boy hid there, his eyes wide open in shock and his face red from the blood.

"Are you all right?" With a warm smile, full of compassion, Brynhildr reached out her hand to the child. "Come, let's go and find your mother."

He nodded hesitantly and accepted her help, but then squealed horribly and hid again.

And Brynhildr could feel a sharp pain in her chest, when someone has pierced her from behind with a javelin.

_My lungs… It's a mortal wound, for sure. There's no hope for me._

But she wasn't a fragile woman to give up so easily. She managed to stay proudly on her feet, turn around and face the one, who had attacked her so cowardly in the back.

The bearded warrior was visibly surprised, that his victim still lives. He raised the sword to finish her, but his powerful blow did not reach the target. Brynhildr's spear pierced the man's heart and literally nailed him to the ground.

"It's a really pathetic way to die," Brynhildr whispered, spitting blood, and fell on her knees. "Forgive me, my love."

And her consciousness sank into darkness.

* * *

"Father, send me back, please!"

Brynhildr found herself in the palace of her father, who apparently wanted to see his favorite fallen valkyrie before her soul will go to the land of eternal mist, ruled by the goddess Hel. There her lone spirit will wander through the wastelands until _Ragnarök_ come or all the nine worlds collapse.

"Why should I do such thing?"

"Because I promised to never leave him alone!"

There were tears in her eyes and Odin had to admit, that he had never seen his daughter so desperate before. He sighed heavily.

"It's your fault to make promises you can't keep, child."

"Father, please… I have never wanted anything from you. Just this once, have mercy on me!" She kneeled before him, lowering her head.

"Brynhildr, I have no power over the realm of the dead."

"I've died in battle, so you can choose me and take me to Valhalla." She looked Odin in the eyes and noticed, that he likes this idea. "As a fallen warrior, one of the best on these lands, I belong to you, so you can do as you please. Send me back, I beg you!"

"It's too much to wish for, even for you, my dear child." The Allfather sounded unmoved, but an obvious hesitation in his gaze gave Brynhildr hope.

"Then just let me say goodbye to him and ask his forgiveness," she whispered after a short pause. "I swear to be your most loyal servant in return."

Odin shook his head, truly amazed.

"You really love him this much? Even knowing, that you were only a replacement for that woman?"

"It's not true, father." Her eyes were shining with affection, when she tried to explain her feelings. "Even if only a tiny part of his heart belongs to me, I know that this little bit of love is real, honest and only mine. It's still more than many women could really get in their lives."

Such words of faith were like poetry to the deity, who respected wisdom above all else. Odin just couldn't ignore them.

"Go, child. One short conversation, nothing more."

Brynhildr gave him a truly beautiful smile and returned to her wounded body.

She was in Siegfried's arms. His tears on her cheek should have saddened her, but they made her happy instead. It was the ultimate proof, that all she said Odin a moment ago, is true.

"I should say you to not cry, but it seems that I'm an awful woman." She wiped away his tears and smiled. "Because it means that I was important to you."

"Of course you were." He did not look surprised, he must have already predicted her temporary return. "And you'll always be. I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you more."

"It was more than enough, my love," she whispered with a smile and stole the last kiss from him. "Find Aslaug. She will grant your wish. And… if you'll ever be near Valhalla, please come and see me."

People around kept shouting his name, call him a savior king and a hero, but he couldn't really hear them. He stayed on his knees, with Brynhild's dead body in his arms, swallowing the first bitter consequence of his decision.

* * *

"You've summoned me just to show me this?"

Rin was still shaken after the discovery, what's hidden under the castle. She was sitting in the private room of the queen, resting near the fireplace and sipping wine.

"I've summoned you because I promised." Aslaug smiled, caressing the head of her tamed wolf. Well, it seemed that keeping promises and petting a very big canines is in the blood of the Völsung family. "And I showed you this because…"

She stared into the fire for a while, searching for the best words to describe her motives.

"You're the one, who travels through time and space, so, if there is even a single timeline, in which this not happens… please, don't let him choose this path."

Tohsaka nodded slowly.

"I would try even if you did not ask me to. I do care about him, even if it has no real meaning now. "

"It has, believe me." Aslaug smiled, probably remembering something. "I'm really glad that we've met, Miss Tohsaka. It may sound strange, but you were always a part of my family. I've thought that, maybe if he feels your presence…" She sighed. "Well, too bad it's not that simple."

"Actually, we should pray that he'll never wake up."

Although Rin's words might seem just too cruel, both women could only agree with them in heavy silence.

* * *

It was a really strange feeling for Siegfried – to reside, even for a while, in the hall of his father. He has never met king Sigmund, yet he could feel his presence in every corner of the main room.

The locals treated him like a king, but he kept repeating that he's only their guest. His declarations of not becoming the new lord of Xanten seemed to be ignored by literally everyone and soon even a messenger from king Gunther - his trusted man, Hagen - came to see Siegfried and offer an alliance.

"I know it's still too soon after your loss, but my king want to propose you a pact. Your marriage with his sister, Kremhild, could connect our kingdoms in more than only political way. After all, there cannot be a better way to show a mutual trust between monarchs than mixing the blood, forming a sacred bond of a marriage."

Siegfried let him finish this speech, but then only laughed out loud at this ridiculous idea.

"Interesting! So king Gunther is a kind of person, who's willing to sacrifice his own sister and sell her to the dragon to gain more power and land?"

Hagen's eyebrows raised suddenly. He didn't predict this kind of an answer and was clearly surprised by the different point of view.

"Well, I'm not trying to justify it, but politics needs sacrifices…"

"True. But if the king wants to achieve something, he must sacrifice himself first, not demand it only from his family and subjects. This is what people should do, not make the others do their job."

Hagen was thinking hard, not sure how to react. He visibly agreed with Siegfried in this matter, yet tried to remain loyal to his king and fulfill the task, which had been given to him.

"Don't get me wrong," Siegfried said to explain himself; it sounded a little more diplomatic at last. "I have nothing against giving those lands to king Gunther, really. What? I may look like a mindless mountain of muscles, I know, but I use my brain sometimes. I'm aware of his goal, don't be so surprised. But I'm not the right person to decide."

"What? Why?"

"These lands belong to queen Hiordis and her second son, not to me, so you should advice your king to make an alliance with her. I'm not in charge here."

"You're wrong." Hagen shook his head. "People will follow you. You've seen how they reacted to your return. You may gather an army at will, you're their savior, their rightful king, their hero…"

Surprisingly, Siegfried laughed again.

"This is so funny! King Gunther is really afraid of me, possibly raising an army to conquer his lands?" He needed a moment to calm down and offered Hagen a drink. Their cups clinked against each other. "I won't do such thing, my path leads elsewhere. I could give him an assurance, written in my blood and sealed with a spell, but I'm afraid that my blood would burn the paper." He chuckled. "Besides, no one will follow a monster, their affection is temporary and will later turn into hatred. They may be happy now, but soon they would send a dragon slayer to get rid of me. And if I disappear now, they will quickly forget about me, this is how it works."

He said it so honestly, that Hagen could only respect him, thinking, that Siegfried could be a really great king. It seemed that he truly cared for people and did not want to cause them any problems.

"I see." Hagen drank from his cup. "I will explain your decision to king Gunther. May I ask where do you intend to go now?"

"Of course, it's not a secret. I'll go North, I must sail to Norway and get my daughter back."

Hagen stared at him for a while. His horns and wings aside, even Siegfried's eyes started to change, making him look almost like a reptile. There was more, he had some green scales on his face and arms… After a short conversation, Hagen could tell that Siegfried is surprisingly calm, good-hearted and kind, but his appearance suggests something completely different. People can be afraid of him and there's a high possibility, that no one will want to take this guy on a ship.

"No offence, it may be difficult for you to get there. Unless you can use these" – he pointed the wings – "to cross the sea."

"You're right… and they're rather useless." Siegfried smiled, but something was visibly bothering him. "I must try anyway."

"I can help you with this task and organize a ship for you." Hagen gave him a thin smile. "But it will be a favor for a favor."

"Oh? Tell me more about it."

"King Gunther seeks allies, brave and skilled warriors, to help him clean these lands. There are trolls, werewolves, wyverns, bandits and other scum, spreading like a plague during the war. I'll lead a quest to get rid of them. If you join us, I'll give you a ship with my loyal crew, ready to take you to Norway or even to the end of the world."

Siegfried remained silent for a while, thinking. It would be good to join such quest and save not only people, but also a lot of innocent creatures, which otherwise would be slaughtered without mercy by humans… But there's also a risk, that it's only a trick to keep Siegfried dependent on Gunther, use him and bind to Burgundians.

_I'm not so naïve anymore and I can predict their moves… This path will lead me to my little princess, so I must take it._

"Fine, Hagen, you have my sword."

"Oh, and I suppose that there will be some feasts and parties involved, they will certainly want to meet you."

"You mean take a closer look at me, like at an exotic animal in a cage?" Siegfried winked and Hagen responded with a meaningful smile. "I will endure it somehow, it's still a good price for your help. I accept it."

They confirmed the agreement by a firm handshake and Hagen prepared to leave the town. Siegfried watched him over his shoulder and smiled, thinking, that in another timeline, under different circumstances, they could become a really good friends.


	12. No Regrets

_I doubt that any other 'me' in any other timeline has ever been so happy._  


* * *

_The women of this court are really rotten_ , Siegfried thought, leaving the main room of Gunther's hall. He could hear much more than a normal human now and cursed his own ears every time he was forced to listen to such conversations.

'Have you ever laid with a dragon? I wonder if he has some scales there too? Is it true that dragons are especially vigorous in bed? It would be nice to seduce him, but I'm afraid, that I may catch something' – and so on… Always the same.

They all were like this, literally. Well, maybe except Kriemhild, who tried to be nice, but clearly was afraid of Siegfried. He didn't blame her – after all she was just an ordinary woman, not a warrior with a flaming soul. Or maybe he was not fair in his judgment and could not notice the true value of the king's sister?

Most likely he did not even try to. Actually, he felt sorry for the girl. Who knows what Gunther has planned for her and what he told her? Maybe she lives in a constant fear of possible marriage with a beast, praying that Siegfried won't ever change his mind in this matter?

He sighed really heavily and then noticed, that Hagen is laughing at him from behind.

"This again? I still wonder why you don't just use their interest and have some fun."

The meaningful gaze that Siegfried gave him was more than enough for an answer.

"I see." Hagen smiled. "So you're truly the romantic type, like Gunther said."

"Wait, you have no better things to discuss with the king than my personal life? Really?"

"Well, it ended like this because I had to explain your latest victory to him and he couldn't understand, why – again - you haven't brought a trophy with you."

"It's not 'a trophy', I really hate this word." Siegfried winced. "It's just a corpse."

"It's a proof, that you've killed it."

"In an ideal world my word would be enough."

"In an ideal world we wouldn't have to kill these creatures, don't you think?"

"It's just me or our conversations are truly… weird, Hagen?"

They both laughed, realizing the truth of this simple remark. They spent so much time together, hunting in the woods, that they didn't need to end the sentence to understand each other.

Actually Siegfried rarely killed, especially magical creatures were safe in his presence. He rather convinced them to escape, to hide deeper in the woods or to go to the Reverse Side of the World. His sword was always covered with blood, but mostly it was his own blood, spilled to prove a victory that has never really happened.

Siegfried was sure, that Hagen knew about these little tricks and still stayed on his side. This guy was the one to create stories and convince the king, that everything is fine and according to plan. He had a special talent to make people believe in his stories, no matter how crazy their plots are. Hagen's motives were not clear to Siegfried, but he was grateful for his help.

"Anyway, I wanted to tell you, that queen Hiordis and her son will come today." Hagen sighed, seeing Siegfried's reaction – he looked like a kicked dog right now. "They want to discuss your future role in the kingdom of Xanten, make you a commander or something."

"I have nothing more to tell, I gave them these lands already, so what's the matter?"

"People started to rebel against queen Hiordis," Hagen explained simply. "They want you to rule them."

"I won't become the king of Xanten," Siegfried replied, coldly and categorically.

"Then you must explain this to your people."

After a moment of heavy silence, Siegfried came up with a crazy idea.

"We must make them hate and banish me. Or better I will fake my own death, that's it!"

Hagen only stared at him, already used to this kind of stuff. He was never bored with this Dragon-Blooded Knight, honestly.

"How?"

"I don't know, you're the storyteller here, Hagen." Siegfried shrugged. "Tell them that I've committed a disgusting crime, a treason, a love affair or something unforgivable, so you had to kill me."

"How?"

"Hmm, maybe tell them that I got drunk and told you about my only weakness or something…"

"You can't get drunk even if you want to." Hagen gave him a really strange expression. "And you have no weak points."

"No, but you're the only one who knows about it, right?"

Hagen sighed.

"And what kind of a weak point you have in mind?"

"I have no idea. Maybe a spot on my back?"

"So dishonorable to stab you in the back! And I suppose that nobody would believe in this story."

"Probably." Siegfried smiled. _If you only knew, my friend._ "Like I said, you're the storyteller here, so don't blame me for having stupid ideas. Anyway, I'll be going now."

"Where?"

"Outside. I need to catch some fresh air."

"Hey, running away from your responsibilities is not like you, you know?"

"Running away from my mother sounds better to you?"

"Not at all!"

And, as always, they both burst out laughing with no particular reason.

* * *

The cry of the falcon broke the silence and scared everyone near the hall, animals and humans alike. Siegfried noticed that the bird was tamed and was clearly looking for his owner - that's why the creature was so upset and flew low over the heads of people.

A familiar figure, completely wrapped in a dark mantle, so no one could recognize her, tried to call the bird, but hesitated and hid near the stables, when she saw Gunther at the window.

"What's happening there?!" The king was not pleased by the noise. "Catch it or shoot it, dammit!"

Siegfried tilted his head, intrigued.

_So the bird is yours? I see… Let me handle this._

He whistled cheerfully and reached out his hand. The falcon spotted him immediately and landed on his arm.

"It's yours, Siegfried?" Gunther, even if he was really displeased, could do nothing but forgive the most talented and actually invincible knight in his service.

"Ah… Yes, I'm sorry. I left him outside the town, but it seems that he has broken loose and followed me here. I'm really sorry."

Siegfried bowed slightly and headed to the nearest trees. There he stayed for a while, waiting and stroking the feather of the majestic bird. It did not take long for a mantled person to find him there.

"Thank you," she said hesitantly, trying to not look Siegfried in the eyes.

"I didn't know that you have a falcon, Kriemhild." He smiled, letting the bird sit on her arm.

"Because it is… was… a secret. My brother doesn't want me to go hunting, riding a horse or use a sword." There was something extremely sad in her voice. "He says that it's inappropriate for a woman and especially for a princess."

"But you do it anyway?" He smiled, seeing her reaction – a blush and wide open, scared eyes. "Don't worry, I won't tell him. And I can't see anything wrong about it."

"But you're smiling, thinking that it's funny, right? You're just like the other men, laughing at me and my dreams."

Siegfried sighed. What a terrible life this woman must have to be so bitter and frustrated at such young age? She reminded him of a wild cat, trapped in a too small cage and treated like a family pet. She tried to use her claws and fangs against men who have dominated her, but she barely could wound anyone with their blunt tips. Trying to break through their ignorance must have been like trying to pierce the skin of a dragon with a wooden stick.

"I am the last person to laugh at someone's dreams, trust me." He sounded so serious and sad, that Kriemhild stared at him, intrigued. "After all, I'm the one who pursues the most ridiculous dream and keeps fighting for it like a mindless fool."

"Even if it's hopeless? You still won't give up?"

"Never," he answered simply and Kriemhild nodded in response.

Siegfried hesitated. He said it honestly, it was what he believes in, but… Maybe giving her hope was just cruel?

No matter how stubborn you are, how hard you work, how much you rebel, some things are inevitable and some wishes will never be granted.

Fate can be really cruel.

"And you aren't afraid that you will regret it later? That you wasted your life, fighting for an impossible dream?"

"Although my fate is already decided, I have no regrets."

There was nothing more to say, no other bond formed between the two. Pity and understanding were the only feelings they could have for each other. Siegfried was first to go back to the hall, but he stopped suddenly, struck by an unexpected vision.

"You will marry a great conqueror, the powerful warlord, Kriemhild. The Horse Master from the faraway land," he said. "You will be happy with this man, free to do as you please. So don't worry about the future."

And, with a thin smile on his face, he left Kriemhild alone, before she could stop him or ask for more details.

* * *

There were two surprising things that Siegfried has learned about dragons.

First: they can go ages without food, only truly greedy individuals come out of their caves to feed regularly.

Second: a long sleep is the ultimate cure for every disease or problem a dragon may have. With the energy of the land in their every breath, they can even regenerate wounded organs, then wake up after a few centuries, completely healed and more powerful than before.

When he woke up from such a long dream, he felt stunned and confused, empty like an abandoned shell on the bottom of the sea.

Then he remembered everything. There were some scraps of memories first, then a logical story has formed, making him feel more and more frustrated.

The old gods still live.

Odin got what he wanted.

Hagen did not have the occasion to give Siegfried a ship.

Odin got what he wanted.

He had never managed to summon Rin again.

Odin got what he wanted.

The time spent in Burgundy was not as bad as Siegfried suspected, actually he was strangely enjoying it. But he also missed his daughter and had to remind himself, that every day spent in the service of Gunther means being one step closer to Aslaug.

Cleaning the northern wood, the last location, where their intervention was needed, should have ended quickly, but their team bumped into the trolls. Those creatures were hopeless, attacked the innocent villagers and ate them, not to mention that they refused to cooperate and move further into the woods. It was a large, aggressive pack and Siegfried was forced to use the crystal again.

This was the one 'again' too far. He would never suspect that his body would break so easily. Maybe his service was needed sooner than expected?

Later he realized that he has lost his mind for some time, but couldn't really tell, how long it was. A week? Few months? Ten years? Until Aslaug, now the queen of Norway, found him, brought his sanity back to some extent and took him to her castle.

Reunited at last, they were talking for many days and decided that the best course of action is to hide Siegfried far from the prying eyes to keep the old magic safe, beyond the reach of the greedy mages and other dangerous creatures of this and other worlds, as well as to prevent him from raging mindlessly around. Aslaug has put Siegfried to sleep with a song, the favorite lullaby of her mother, about the never ending dream.

Siegfried must have slept for ten or more centuries under the castle in Norway. He could feel that it's enough, that he's needed elsewhere. Not getting tired or bored, he crossed the sea on his giant wings and returned to his homeland, where the land itself called for him to settle. On the way he caught and devoured two whales, to avoid searching for the prey on the land later. Such meal would help him survive another centuries in hiding.

Actually he didn't mind if someone sees him. Modern people don't believe in dragons and their minds have a very useful ability to ignore, forget or rationalize every unexpected occurrence. It helps keep them sane, mostly.

But, if someone somehow would believe in what he saw and decide to hunt the dragon down? Well, it would be troublesome. Siegfried did not want to kill people, so hiding from their sight was the best possible way to avoid conflicts.

He buried himself safely in the old Fafnir's cave, not surprised anymore, why the old reptile had chosen this location. It was perfect for the ones like them.

'Remember, dragons are agents of Gaia, the guardian must be replaced' – the dying creature said back then and Siegfried shook his head, cursing his own stupidity. How couldn't he realize this obvious truth sooner?

Deep within the mountain he kept growing, fed by the magic from the earth, safe in a long forgotten, cloistered sleep.

He woke up twice already and hoped that it's enough for a really long time. Without any memories or even identity, he simply knew what needs to be done. He killed the entire secret association of mages, who almost destroyed all local ley lines and reached too deep into the core of the Earth. He killed some twisted 'scientists', who had almost destroyed the river with a strange type of magical poison, able to sank into the core of the planet and destroy all creation.

And this was the third time when he's awaken, different than before. It seemed that he woke up on his own, having no task to perform, no humans to kill. And this time he remembered everything.

_Rin Tohsaka. My only wish._

He focused, trying to look a bit into the future and growled, disappointed by the view. It was clear, that he will not ever summon her again.

It made him frustrated, even enraged to the point that he wanted to set the world on fire. It was a strange and new experience for him, such unfamiliar, deep emotion, but…

_This is it, right?_

_It must be something spectacular. Well, I think I can make it._

Siegfried slowly came out of his cave and spread his wings. He did not intend to destroy the world, he had no possibility to do so, being in its service. So he decided to act against humanity instead, trying to cause enough troubles to force Alaya to send their Guardians and stop him. One particular Guardian, to be precise.

_I know it's so selfish, I'm sorry, but still…_

_To see her again, even once, even for a while._

* * *

"This location again? What's happening here?"

Tohsaka materialized on the shore of once magnificent river, which she knew better than any other in this and other worlds. It happened many times before, more than she could remember, and always a powerful magical core, a generator similar to the Holy Grail, was involved.

Now it seemed that one of the Gaia's agents has lost his mind and needed to be stopped from destroying everything around. Tohsaka was sent to support the three warriors, who have been already dealing with the creature, little surprised, that her instructions were to 'stop' not 'destroy' or 'dispose', as usual.

Also she couldn't believe, that one of the beasts survived to the modern times – it was clearly the twentieth century, if not later. The Earth was still alive in this timeline, the pulse of the planet was steady, like something keeps guarding it, preventing from total destruction. Moreover, Alaya remained a part of Gaia, with humans rarely becoming a threat to the balance.

In this landscape, familiar but also changed by the flow of time, her fellow Counter Guardians were trying to calm down a raging dragon.

Rin blinked. At first glance the creature looked like Fafnir reincarnated, including his characteristic crest, but much bigger and probably more powerful. Then she noticed, that his scales were more green than brown and there was no aura of cruelty or hatred around the reptile.

_So this was the magic generator hidden in Fafnir's cave? I… know this dragon._

Gaia has survived within him, as well as the old religion and the remnants of long forgotten magic, maybe even of the old gods. That's why it couldn't be killed – it would mean destroying the essence of Nature itself, at least the part, which has survived to this age.

_Well, even if it can be killed, it definitely shouldn't be._

"Target his legs while we keep him busy!" – the masked Guardian shouted and fired a series from his fine rifle. Although the bullets couldn't harm the dragon, they annoyed him. His long neck moved extremely fast to catch the enemy, but then the warrior with katana blocked the strike, targeting the eye of the reptile.

Tohsaka held her breath. She knew those eyes. There were not golden and filled with evil intentions, like Fafnir's, but blue and… kind. This characteristic cold shade could belong only to one person.

At this moment EMIYA fired one of his powerful broken phantasms and a huge explosion shaken the earth. The dragon roared terribly and sat on his hind legs, like a wounded dog. His right forelimb was damaged badly, actually useless for now, although regeneration process has already started.

But the dragon did not intend to give up, preparing a firestorm deep inside his chest, ready to smash them all and burn the surroundings to the ground. Rin could not stand it, this battle was meaningless.

_No! No, please stop! This madness must be stopped!_

"Siegfried!" – she shouted and her voice somehow broke through this chaos.

The beast froze, so did three Guardians. They all stared ad Tohsaka, who rushed to the dragon without fear, like she intended to hold him.

"R… Riiiiiin." A strange metallic voice came from the giant inhuman throat. It sounded familiar, but distorted, like he has never tried to speak in this reptile form before.

Tohsaka gently touched dragon's nostrils – his body was hot, burning inside, like that day, when he had used his unique magic for the first time.

"Siegfried, please try to take a human form again." She couldn't hold back her tears. "I want to embrace you."

But the bleeding beast only laid on the ground and concentrated. Rin could feel, that something has touched her mind – it was clearly a try of magical contact. She opened her mind to read the message.

_Rin, finally! I've missed you so much._

_I know._ She swallowed her tears, unable to say anything more.

_Don't cry, Rin. I'm so happy! My life was good too. I doubt that any other 'me' in any other timeline has ever been so happy. Too bad I can't hold you, but you cannot have everything you want._

She had no words to answer. Siegfried must have understood her emotions and doubts, because he added after a while of heavy silence:

_Rin, whatever you may think now, please remember, that I regret nothing. And your imaginary debt, which has never truly existed, has been paid._

It was so simple, yet so unbelievable. Archer said the same thing. There is no debt. There has never been any debt. It's only her self-punishement, the lamentation of her soul.

_When you've become so… wise, Siegfried?_

The beast chuckled, two clouds of steam came out of his nostrils.

_There are some good sides of becoming a dragon, Rin. Damn it, I wish I could be an Asian dragon, so I would change into human at will and follow you everywhere! But, anyway… It's a great feeling to have your wish granted at last, don't you think?_

She had to admit, that it was good, indeed. She felt light, like a great burden has been taken away from her shoulders. Like she's born anew.

But she was also angry at him, for being so calm, for accepting his fate so easily. It was such a cruel fate and the promise he made to her back then, to live no matter what, somehow has turned into a twisted curse.

The giant blue eye was watching her carefully, shining with true happiness.

_So, Rin… let's guard this beautiful world together, ok?_

She nodded and clung to his scaled cheek. How could she even think of scolding him if he looks at her like that?

_Ah, yes, you annoying, reckless brat._

_I think I've missed your yelling too._

_Good for you._ She sighed, feeling the urge to end her mission immediately, as well as the heavy gazes of the other Counter Guardians. _But now you must sleep, Siegfried. Go back to the cave, please. Go, heal and rest a little._

_I will. Sorry for causing you so much trouble, I won't do it again. I will wake up only when the World will need me, I promise._

He stood up slowly, protecting his wounded leg, and withdraw into the mountain, leaning on his tail to keep balance. He stopped at the entrance to the tunnel and turned his long neck to look at her one last time…

Before she vanished with the wind, Rin smiled. For the first time from many years her eyes were filled with hope.

* * *

Near the Well of Fate, three Norns work, keep spinning the strands of human's life, believing, that everything in this and other worlds happens in a right time and place.

In the halls of Valhalla, a beautiful valkyrie with sad eyes takes care of the fallen warriors, waiting for _Ragnarök_ , which has not yet come.

On the one of countless battlefields, the fake Counter Guardian raises her fake sword and do her job with a happy smile, believing that there is at least one thing worth protecting in this World.

And deep in the underground cavern, a dragon sleeps, dreaming about a woman in a red coat, who is like a firestone, full of flames, burning from the inside out.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the end of a crazy timeline. Thank You for following Rin, Siegfried and the others for so long! And don't hesitate to leave a comment. ;)
> 
> If You are interested – the rebellion is coming! A new story will be published soon, the Fourth Holy Grail War again, with some minor changes of Servants, focused mostly on the Einzberns, not Tohsakas this time.
> 
> Thank You again and I hope to see You soon!

**Author's Note:**

> CG TOHSAKA in this story is a faker, with combined (limited) powers of Archer EMIYA and Siegfried/Saber of Black, along with her own jewel magic. She's the one from the neutral end of "Another Time", but You can enjoy this story without reading the previous one.
> 
> The surname Sigmundsson, which means: "son of Sigmund", is made rather in a Swedish way, but it's only because I really like the sound of it.
> 
> I'm going to play a little with some various versions of the legend, because I really like mythological gags. You've been warned.
> 
>  
> 
> All characters and features belong to their rightful owners. Mythological creatures and elements belong to us all.
> 
> I'll be glad to know Your opinions. Thank You for reading!


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